Springtails are tiny hexapods often found near water, where they execute their superpower: backflipping off the water’s surface. When standing on the water, the springtail’s hydrophilic claws protrude beneath the Keep reading
Tag: biophysics
Snail Locomotion
Snails and other gastropods move using their single muscular foot and a viscoelastic fluid they secrete. Muscular waves in the foot run from tail to head and are transmitted to Keep reading
How the Hummingbird Got Its Hum
Summer hikes in the Rocky Mountains are frequently pierced by a hum that can deepen to a bomber-like buzz as hummingbirds flit by. They’re so small and fast that they’re Keep reading
The Fluidity of Worm Blobs
The aquatic blackworm forms blobs composed of thousands of individual worms for protection against evaporation, light, and heat. The worms braid themselves together (Image 1). Once a blob forms, it Keep reading
How Wombats Make Stackable Feces
Wombats are unique among the animal kingdom for their ability to produce cubic feces approximately the size and shape of dice. Researchers found that wombats accomplish this geometric feat thanks Keep reading
This Is Your Brain
The human brain, like an egg, consists of soft matter bathed in a fluid and encased in a hard shell. To better understand how our brains respond to sudden accelerations, Keep reading
Flexible Wings Aid Butterfly Flight
Butterflies are some of the oddest flyers of the insect world, given the large size of their wings relative to their bodies. That could be a recipe for inefficient flight, Keep reading
How Animals Stay Dry in the Rain
Getting wet can be a problem for many animals. A wet insect could quickly become too heavy to fly, and a wet bird can struggle to stay warm. But these Keep reading
To Beat Surface Tension, Tadpoles Make Bubbles
For tiny creatures, surface tension is a formidable barrier. Newborn tadpoles are much too small and weak to breach the air-water surface in order to breathe. Researchers found that, instead, Keep reading
Morphing Wings Using Real Feathers
Although humanity has long been inspired by bird flight, most of our flying machines are nothing like birds. Engineers have struggled to recreate the ease with which birds are able Keep reading