Evolution delivers: The first mechanical gear found in a living creature
3 replies, posted
[url]http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/166493-evolution-delivers-the-first-mechanical-gear-found-in-a-living-creature[/url]
[IMG]http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Animal-Gear-640x353.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE]Gears and wheels are not very common in nature. They are mainly encountered at the nanoscale within the membranes of single cells. Here they act as rotary atomic pumps or motors to move ions and wield flagella. Recently however, biologists have discovered a precision gearing mechanism that is built and used by an insect known as a planthopper, which is similar to the grasshopper. The bug employs this device to mechanically synchronize its powerful jumping actuators so that they both fire within 30 microseeconds of each other.
It appears that the planthopper developed this device to circumvent timing errors that would be expected to occur if both sides were under independent nervous control. Just as early fighter planes relied on mechanical synchros to fire their machine guns through their propeller without destroying it, this mechanical timer enables pinpoint directional accuracy when the creature makes leaps of over 100 times its own body length.[/QUOTE]
[editline]15th September 2013[/editline]
[IMG]http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Planthopper.jpg[/IMG]
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("search before you post, again, this has been posted twice already" - Orkel))[/highlight]
wow is all i can say. Truly marvelous.
You're like the third person to post this
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.