Posted on 02/07/2011 12:56:13 PM PST by LibWhacker
When aircrash investigators of the future retrieve a flight recorder from the wreckage of a plane they may have the golden-fronted woodpecker, Melanerpes aurifons, to thank for the survival of the flight data. The reason? A shock absorber inspired by the bird's ability to withstand severe deceleration.
A woodpecker's head experiences decelerations of 1200g as it drums on a tree at up to 22 times per second. Humans are often left concussed if they experience 80 to 100g, so how the woodpecker avoids brain damage was unclear.
So Sang-Hee Yoon and Sungmin Park of the University of California, Berkeley, studied video and CT scans of the bird's head and neck and found that it has four structures that absorb mechanical shock.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
That is just great! lol
Gross! Lol!
Utterly disgusting...
...and HILARIOUS!
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