As levels of air pollution rise, so does the incidence of pulmonary diseases like asthma. Treatments for these diseases largely rely on inhalers containing drug particles that need to be Keep reading
Tag: biology
Stingray Eyes
With their flexible, flattened shape, rays are some of the most efficient swimmers in the ocean. But, at first glance, it seems as if their protruding eyes and mouth would Keep reading
Animals Lapping
Without full cheeks, cats, dogs, and many other animals cannot use suction to drink. Instead, these animals press their tongue against a fluid and lift it rapidly to draw up Keep reading
Spiral Shark Intestines
We’ve seen previously just how fluid dynamically impressive sharks are on the outside, but today’s study demonstrates that they’re just as incredible on the inside. Researchers used CT scans of Keep reading
Sandsculpting Bees
Building sandcastles is more than a pastime for the bumblebee-mimic digger bee. This species of bee collects water into an abdominal pouch, then uses it to wet sand to help Keep reading
Keeping Cool in the Cretaceous
I love that fluid dynamics can bring new insights to other subjects, like this study on how heavily-armored ankylosaurs avoided heat stroke. Scans of ankylosaur skulls show a complicated, twisty Keep reading
Moths in Flight
As student engineers, we often use fixed-wing aircraft to build our intuition for flight, but nature has so many other incredible examples to offer. Here we see high-speed video of Keep reading
Sea Sponge Hydrodynamics
The Venus’s flower basket is a sea sponge that lives at depths of 100-1000 meters. Its intricate latticework skeleton has long fascinated engineers for its structural mechanics, but a new Keep reading
The Froghopper’s Incredible Suction
The tiny froghopper feeds on the sap in xylem, a feat that requires overcoming more than a megapascal of negative pressure. Plants, as you may recall, transport water and nutrients Keep reading
“The Goblet of Fire”
Sometimes the mundane events of life hide extraordinary phenomena. This award-winning photograph by Sarang Naik shows yellow-brown spores streaming off a mushroom during monsoon season. The plume is abstract and Keep reading