Posted on 03/24/2021 8:20:48 AM PDT by PAUL09
Functioning ‘mechanical gears’ discovered in nature for the first time
To the best of our knowledge, the mechanical gear (equally sized teeth cut into two rotating surfaces to lock them together as they turn) was invented by Greek mechanics in Alexandria around 300 B.C.E. Functioning ‘mechanical gears’ discovered in nature for the first time
Since then, the simple concept has become a foundation of modern technology, allowing a wide range of machinery and vehicles, including automobiles and bicycles.
However, As it turns out, a three-millimeter-long hopping insect known as Issus coleopterous beat us to this invention.
Malcolm Burrows and Gregory Sutton, a pair of biologists from the University of Cambridge in the U.K., discovered that juveniles of the species have an intricate gearing system that locks their back legs together, allowing both appendages to rotate at the exact same instant, causing the tiny creatures to jump forward.
The finding, which was published today in Science, is believed to be the first functional gearing system ever discovered in nature. Issus coleoptratus
Insects from the Issus genus, which are commonly called “planthoppers,” are found throughout Europe and North Africa.
"300 B.C.E"
Better yet, dinoflagellum spin at 100,000 rpm, but can stop cold in a quarter revolution and instantaneously spin the opposite direction at full speed.
God is Good.
that is freaking awesome.
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