Pygmy mole crickets are skilled jumpers on land and amazingly on water, too. New research shows how their back legs act like spring-loaded paddles to propel them from the surface of a pond.
Researcher Malcolm Burrows, of the University of Cambridge, explained that water can be a deadly trap for many small insects.
"Water grabs and holds an insect, offering it as an appetizing snack for an alert fish. Pygmy mole crickets turn the stickiness of water to their advantage and use this property to enable jumping," Burrows said in a statement.
He collected samples of the species (Xya capensis) from a pond in South Africa and then filmed the insects showing off their jumping skills with a high-speed camera. From watching the footage in slow motion, Burrows saw that the insects have oar-like paddles on their legs that cut through the surface, fan out, and send a ball of water downwards as their bodies fly into the air.
-
Science news from NBCNews.com
-
Load up on science gifts for 2012
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: What do you give the science geek who knows everything? Help us flesh out our post-apocalyptic Science Geek Gift Guide for 2012.
- Help out scientists ? send a stool sample
- DNA directly photographed for first time
- Building Stonehenge: A new timeline
-
Load up on science gifts for 2012
These paddles are packed with a rubber-like protein called resilin, which Burrows described as "the perfect elastic." The protein is found in many other insects and it can store up lots of energy for a quick release ? for example, allowing flies to beat their wings at such a quick speed. Resilin is even used by some insects like cicadas to make noise.
Burrows said the design and makeup of the pygmy mole crickets' legs could serve as an inspiration for aquatic robots.
"If we want to make small robotic vehicles that move under water, this is how we would have to design propellers or oars," Burrows said in a statement. "We would also have to use a material as good as resilin to impart elasticity, restore shape, and reduce drag."
The research appears online this week in the journal Current Biology.
Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook? and ?Google+.
? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50060327/
britney spears At&t Wireless 9/11 Jerry Lawler godaddy andy murray Samsung Galaxy S3
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন