Biomimicry News And Research - April 2011 Archives
 | Researchers have been examining the diverse behaviors of caterpillars to find solutions for the new generation of search and rescue soft robots. ...> Full Article |
 | Camouflage expert Roger Hanlon of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is co-recipient of a $6 million grant from the Office of Naval Research to study and ultimately emulate the exquisite ability of some marine animals to instantly change their skin color and pattern to blend into their environment. ...> Full Article |
 | Shreerang Chhatre is an engineer and aspiring entrepreneur at MIT who works on fog harvesting, the deployment of devices that, like the beetle, attract water droplets and corral the runoff. This way, poor villagers could collect clean water near their homes, instead of spending hours carrying water from distant wells or streams. ...> Full Article |
Inspired by Mother Nature, scientists are reporting development of a protective coating with the potential to enable living cells to survive in a dormant condition for long periods despite intense heat, dryness and other hostile conditions. In a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, they liken the coating to the armor that encloses the spores that protect anthrax and certain other bacterial cells, making those microbes difficult to kill.
...> Full Article
The arrays of fine adhesive hairs on the foot pads of many insects, lizards and spiders give them the ability to climb almost any natural surface. A new study found that the different forces required to peel away these adhesive hairs from surfaces are what allows beetles to adhere to diverse surfaces, thereby reducing the risk of detachment. The study is published online in the Springer journal Naturwissenschaften -- The Nature of Science.
...> Full Article
Mimicking Mother Nature's genius as a designer is one of the most promising approaches for developing new medicines, sustainable sources of food and energy, and other products that society needs to meet the great challenges that lie ahead in the 21st century, a noted scientist said here today.
...> Full Article
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Nanoparticle opens the door to clean-energy alternatives
Astronomers gear up to discover Earth-like planets
Tillage and reduced-input rotations affect runoff from agricultural fields
A 20-minute bout of yoga stimulates brain function immediately after
A new approach for managing investment funds
Spanish researchers sequence the genome of global deep ocean
Whispering light hears liquids talk
Amount of dust blown across the West is increasing
Research paints new picture of 'dinobird' feathers
Printing artificial bone
Data highways for quantum information
Scientists create novel silicon electrodes that improve lithium-ion batteries
Repairing turbines with the help of robots
New archaeogenetic research refutes earlier findings
Female moths use olfactory signals to choose the best egg-laying sites
Researchers discover 2-step mechanism of inner ear tip link regrowth
Research shows copper destroys norovirus
What role does sleep play in memory and learning?
Chlamydia protein has an odd structure, scientists find
MRI study: Breastfeeding boosts babies' brain growth
Borneo stalagmites provide new view of abrupt climate events over 100,000 years
Doctors should screen for frailty to prevent deaths
Peer pressure tests grade schoolers -- not just adolescents
New mathematical model links space-time theories
Do palm trees hold the key to immortality?
New strategy for fingerprint visualization developed at Hebrew University
How Usain Bolt can run faster -- effortlessly
Moth-inspired nanostructures take the color out of thin films
Robotic insects make first controlled flight
Seahorse's armor gives engineers insight into robotics designs
Insect-inspired camera captures wide field of view with no distortion, according to CU-Boulder study
Bed of needles
Not slippery when wet: Geckos adhere to surfaces submerged underwater
Cry me a river of possibility: Scientists design new adaptive material inspired by tears
Robot ants successfully mimic real colony behavior
Researchers unveil large robotic jellyfish that one day could patrol oceans