Impossible but it happens, indeed, it is normalcy. The seeds of the common dandelion, or dandelion, fly by a method previously unknown. The work, led by a research group at the University of Edinburgh, could be used by scientists to create useful drones for remote sensing or monitoring of air pollution.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Impossible but it happens, indeed, it is normalcy. The seeds of the common dandelion, or dandelion, fly by a method previously unknown. The work, led by a research group at the University of Edinburgh, could be used by scientists to create useful drones for remote sensing or monitoring air pollution.
Wonderful nature: what seems impossible to us and to our calculations, she does. And so the dandelion seeds fly very far, giving life to plants where it would seem impossible to reach. All due to an ad hoc air bubble that allows balance in the air even for more than a kilometer.
The researchers noted, in particular, that the air around and within the parachute-shaped bundle of bristles allows the seeds to travel great distances, often a kilometer or more, kept "afloat" entirely by wind energy. They therefore decided to carry out targeted experiments.
Incredible but true: the structure of the bristles is so precise that it controls an air bubble that forms in flight and that keeps the whole seed “afloat”. This bubble is ring-shaped and improves resistance by slowing the descent of each seed to the ground. The whole is a game of balances determined by the amount of air flowing through, and is controlled precisely by the spacing of the bristles. A parachute more than efficient.
Only nature can? In general we would say yes, but we can imitate it. "Taking a closer look at ingenious structures in nature, such as the dandelion parachute, can give rise to new insights - explains Cathal Cummins, co-author of the research - We have found a natural solution for flying that minimizes costs. of materials and energy, applicable to sustainable technology engineering ".
In fact, the researchers suggest that the dandelion parachute could inspire the development of small-scale drones that require little or no energy consumption and that could be useful for remote sensing or monitoring of 'air pollution.
And as long as we imitate nature to protect it, imitations are welcome.
The work was published in Nature.
On the dandelion read also:
- Dandelion: what it is and what it is used for
- Dandelion: how to grow dandelion
Roberta de carolis
