(Phys.org)—A historic human-powered ornithopter flight by the University of Toronto-based Snowbird in 2010 has been certified as a world record first by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).
Engineering
Nov 28, 2012
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Cars that change colour at the push of a button; metals that strengthen with use; buildings that harness energy from the wind... research into designing structural materials that are both responsive and functional is shifting ...
Materials Science
Nov 23, 2012
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In comparison to modern birds, the prehistoric Archaeopteryx and bird-like dinosaurs before them had a more primitive version of a wing. The findings, reported on November 21 in Current Biology, lend support to the notion ...
Archaeology
Nov 21, 2012
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Owls have the uncanny ability to fly silently, relying on specialized plumage to reduce noise so they can hunt in acoustic stealth. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, England, are studying the owl's wing structure ...
General Physics
Nov 19, 2012
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Mosquitos have the remarkable ability to fly in clear skies as well as in rain, shrugging off impacts from raindrops more than 50 times their body mass. But just like modern aircraft, mosquitos also are grounded when the ...
General Physics
Nov 19, 2012
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A South American butterfly flapped its wings, and caused a flurry of nanotechnology research to happen in Ohio. Researchers here have taken a new look at butterfly wings and rice leaves, and learned things about their microscopic ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 7, 2012
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(Phys.org)—In 2003, a mysterious and surprising dinosaur was discovered that possessed not only wings on its arms but also long feathers on each leg forming a "hind wing." This was a completely new and unexpected body plan ...
Archaeology
Oct 23, 2012
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(Phys.org)—A team of Austrian researchers has found that Hebomoia glaucippe, known as the great orange tip butterfly, has a toxin in its wing tips that is identical to a toxin used by a predatory sea snail to kill prey. ...
(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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(Phys.org)—Using objects obtained for the express purpose of adornment is a trait found only in humans, though some have speculated that our early cousins, the Neanderthals, might have done so as well. Some prior research ...
