Sticky berries adhere with strength and ease
71. ORNILUX
ORNILUX is an insulated glass sheeting made by Arnold Glas, a Germany-based company, which is designed to reduce the causes of bird collisions. It uses a special ultraviolet (UV)-reflective coating that appears almost transparent to humans, but is...
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72. Self-medicating with plants: chimpanzees
"Perhaps the most famous example of an animal herbalist is the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Those living in Tanzania's Gombe National Park are often seen pulling leaves off any of three species of Aspilia, a genus of bushy plant related to...
73. Badgers line nests with antimicrobial plants.
"In addition to airing their bedding, European badgers bring a variety of dry bedding material to the sett. Near birthing time they start to collect fresh green material such as bluebell and daffoldil leaves, dog's mercury, hart's tongue fronds, g...
74. Eyes see color with precision: mantis shrimp
"The mantis shrimp can see fine shades of colors with great precision and studying their eyes could benefit the paint and clothing industries as well as improve detection of camouflaged targets and counterfeit documents." (Courtesy of the Biomimic...
75. Radiating filaments filter water: fanworms
"Increased surface area is extremely useful to many creatures…The radiating filaments of the fanworm filter the water for food particles: the more water is covered, the more food is found." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:24)
76. Chemicals made with natural ingredients: bacteria
"Until now, only the intricate machinery inside cells could take a mix of enzyme ingredients, blend them together and deliver a natural product with an elaborate chemical structure such as penicillin. Researchers at UC San Diego's Scripps Institut...
77. Durable casing built with sand: protozoans
"A protozoan, Difflugia, has developed a unique system of ingesting elements of construction together with its food. It incorporates indigestible particles such as grains of sand among its food, usually tiny algae, in its flowing protoplasm. These...
78. Jumping cactus attaches with unidirectional friction.
Jumping cholla, (Opuntia bigelovii), is famous for its ability to grab hold tight onto any hiker unlucky enough to brush against it. This cactus primarily reproduces vegetatively and to facilitate this, even a slight touch is enough to dislodge a ...
79. Trilobite saw with compound eyes.
“The paired compound eyes of trilobites are the best known of all fossil visual systems. They have many lenses composed of calcite, which had their origin as a specialised part of the calcified dorsal cuticle. Unfortunately, almost nothing is pr...
80. Sticky proteins serve as glue: green mussel
"The 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (Dopa)-containing proteins of mussel byssus play a critical role in wet adhesion and have inspired versatile new synthetic strategies for adhesives and coatings. Apparently, however, not all mussel adhesive prote...
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