Sticky berries adhere with strength and ease
41. Screw-and-nut leg joint assists climbing: Papuan weevil
"It is remarkable that in the case of the weevil leg a rotary movement is accomplished by a screw-and-nut system. In engineering, such systems are mainly used for fixing connections, whereas an axle would be used for a simple rotation. The possibl...
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Email43. Color change mechanisms indicate state change.
Fruits and berries are masters of focus-grouped advertising---they are specifically colored to attract the birds, mammals, and even fi sh that will best spread their seed. The ripening process is highly orchestrated as well, with berries staying a...
44. Head structures absorb shock: golden-fronted woodpecker
"The woodpecker’s beak...is a specialized chisel effective in cutting into a tree; unlike a human-made chisel, the beak is self-sharpening...; the beak, made of elastic material, is relatively large compared to the body. This endoskeletal fe...
45. Multiple mechanisms help flies adhere.
"A fly can easily walk on the most slippery surfaces or stand still on a ceiling for hours. Its feet are better equipped to hold on to glass, walls and ceilings than those of a climber. If the retractable claws are not enough, suction pads on its ...
46. Biosignal® Products (formerly)
Biosignal produces synthetic furanones effective on inanimate surfaces such as pipes, ship hulls, membranes and medical devices; and animate surfaces such as lungs, skin and teeth.Furanones are based on a discovery that the eastern Australi...
47. Biosignal® Products (formerly)
Biosignal produces synthetic furanones effective on inanimate surfaces such as pipes, ship hulls, membranes and medical devices; and animate surfaces such as lungs, skin and teeth.Furanones are based on a discovery that the eastern Australi...
48. Sticky hairs capture insects: Roridula plant
"The flypaper trap of the protocarnivorous plant Roridula gorgonias is known to capture various insects, even those having a considerable body size, by using an adhesive, visco-elastic resinous secretion released by glandular trichomes of diffe...
49. Nest lined with protective material: song thrush
"The song-thrush (Turdus philomelos) lines its nest cup with rotting wood fibres, which creates a kind of a pulp that hardens into a cardboard-like material." (Pallasmaa 1995:20)
50. Larvae adhere temporarily underwater: barnacles
"Cypris larvae of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides leave proteinaceous footprints on surfaces during pre-settlement exploration. These footprints are considered to mediate temporary adhesion of cyprids to substrata and, as such, represent...
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