With 3.5 billion years of research and development under her belt, Mother Nature could be considered the world's most experienced biological engineer. Sure, her methods may appear haphazard at times, but her track record ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 24, 2013
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The nighttime twinkling of fireflies has inspired scientists to modify a light-emitting diode (LED) so it is more than one and a half times as efficient as the original. Researchers from Belgium, France, and Canada studied ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 8, 2013
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(Phys.org)—The colors of a butterfly's wings are unusually bright and beautiful and are the result of an unusual trait; the way they reflect light is fundamentally different from how color works most of the time.
Nanomaterials
Oct 11, 2012
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The buildup of ice on surfaces can cause problems in many situations: On airplane wings or on their engine turbine blades, ice can both add weight and interfere with a wing’s lift, which can make it impossible to take ...
Condensed Matter
Dec 22, 2010
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Nature is inspiring scientists all the time. Some ideas are still in research, like beaver-inspired super-warm wetsuits. But others are already part of human life, like Velcro (based on burdock burrs) and the Japanese bullet ...
Materials Science
Jul 15, 2023
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Puffins lose the ability to fly for up to two months every year—twice as long as previously believed. Researchers at University College Cork (UCC) suggest the seabirds are vulnerable to winter storms due to their inability ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 13, 2022
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The Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden at Assiniboine Park is testament to our fascination with the colourful insects that bring delight to so many. The beautiful patterns and pleasing textures of their wings attract not ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 28, 2017
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Ribbon halfbeak are a species of fish with the ability to fly above the sea surface - but unlike true 'flying fish', they lack the necessary hind wing fins. So how do they fly? Dr Yoshinobu Inada from Tokai University, Japan ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2017
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Sometimes water spreads evenly when it hits a surface; sometimes it beads into tiny droplets. While people have noticed these differences since ancient times, a better understanding of these properties, and new ways of controlling ...
General Physics
Jul 16, 2013
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(Phys.org) —On 28 August 2011 researchers Juan Carlos Rando, from the University of La Laguna (Tenerife), and Josep Antoni Alcover from the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca unearthed some small fossil ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 28, 2013
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