Rechercher dans ce blog

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Even a car can't kill this beetle. Here's why - Science Magazine

Jesus Rivera/Kisailus Biomimetics and Nanostructured Materials Lab/University of California, Riverside

When entomologists first told Jesus Rivera that a nondescript black beetle could survive being run over by a car, he was skeptical. Then he tried it, and the insect walked away unscathed (as you can see for yourself in the video below). Now, this newly minted Ph.D. at the University of California, Irvine, has discovered the secret to this bug’s success.

The diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus) lives under the bark of oak and other trees in the western United States, feasting on fungi growing there. Like other beetles, it plays dead when in danger. But though this tiny bug isn’t much bigger than a grain of rice, it can withstand crushing forces equivalent to 39,000 times its body weight, the researchers discovered. That’s about four times more than the strongest humans exert when squeezing the beetle between the thumb and forefinger.

In additional experiments, Rivera and colleagues found the beetle’s toughness and strength arise because the two halves of its outer wing cover are connected like joined jigsaw puzzle pieces. The bulbous shape of interlocking lobes and the right number of them—about five—optimize these properties, Rivera and colleagues report today in Nature. In addition, the supports between the wing cover and the body are structured so as to protect vital organs in the midbody during crushing.

The scientists are now using the beetle’s design to build similarly strong fasteners with potential for use in cars, bicycles, and even airplanes. Who knows, one day you might see a Volkswagen Beetle as tough as a, well, beetle.

Let's block ads! (Why?)



"Here" - Google News
October 21, 2020 at 10:00PM
https://ift.tt/37w1e0i

Even a car can't kill this beetle. Here's why - Science Magazine
"Here" - Google News
https://ift.tt/39D7kKR
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search

Featured Post

A New Cafe, Cocktail Bar, Sports Pub, and Pickleball Destination Is Opening in Far South Austin - Eater Austin

takanadalagi.blogspot.com Two new sibling bars are opening in far south Austin sometime this year. There’s cafe and cocktail bar Drifters S...

Postingan Populer