AskNature

Leaves full of holes help the Swiss cheese plant capture intermittent light

The wooly hairs of the alpine edelweiss intercept and de-energize harmful ultraviolet radiation before it reaches the plant’s cells.

Moths use changes in speed and altitude to maintain trajectory despite changes in windspeed and direction.

Tiny leg hairs help spiders sense subtle air movement by conducting it directly to nerve cells.

The tree-hole frog amplifies the sound of its call by adjusting its pitch to match the resonant frequency of its surroundings.

When pelican wings glide close to water, they use “ground effect” to maximize lift, minimize drag, and conserve energy.

Common reeds and other wetland plants transport gases through a network of spaces between their cells.

When bull snakes and their relatives bellow in defense, tissue boosts air flow as it passes over a single vocal cord to create an initial burst of sound.

Flying squirrels have membranes and cartilage that help them change lift and drag forces, enabling them to glide more than 100 times their body length.

Microscopic scales provide lift to nature’s “flying flowers.”

The Eurasian diving bell spider uses silk and goo to make an airy home for itself beneath the surface of a pond.

These fruit-eating bats home in on a meal by aiming sound waves to the side of their intended target, then adjusting their path to reduce the difference in timing between the waves bouncing back.

Water striders communicate with each other using body parts that send and sense slight vibrations in the water around them.

A shellfish structure that looks like a meal attracts erstwhile predators, which then become unwitting nannies and bus drivers for the sedentary animal’s offspring.

Plovers fake having a broken wing in order to lead predators away from their nest and protect their young.

A closable gap in the beak of a gannet, instead of open nostrils, prevents water from rushing in during high-speed dives.

Caterpillars use stitches made with contracting silk threads to roll leaves into a tube-shaped shelter 

The common eastern firefly produces light through a chemical reaction that energizes a molecule so it can release a photon.

Quick movement dries mammalian fur by ejecting droplets using centripetal force.

Anglerfish have light-absorbing skin to keep hidden while they attract prey with a glowing lure.

Horizontal eye stalks allow eyes to rotate forward, creating a wider field of binocular vision.

The leaves of rosette succulents intercept water droplets from fog through their waxy, smooth surface.

The nanostructure of some spider silk proteins prevents bacterial attachment.

Obstacles placed in the path of sediment-laden water reduce the speed of flow, allowing debris from wildfires to settle out and improving water quality downstream.

Mycorrhizal network sustains diversity in a forest by transporting nutrients and water.

The seeds of yew trees are protected from being eaten by large animals because they contain poisonous compounds called taxanes.

The cuticular wax of the dwarf mountain pine enhances photosynthesis by using fluorophores that convert UV light into blue light that can be used for photosynthesis under low-light conditions.

The leading edge of the tornado-like spinning maple seed provides a constant lift force, allowing seeds to disperse over a greater area.

Trees in cloud forests cope with the dry season by absorbing water from clouds directly through their leaves.

Nepenthes pitcher plants and treeshrews maintain a mutually beneficial relationship by exchanging nutrients.

Cellulose fibers in plant stems increase toughness by winding around tubes at an angle

Trunks and branches of trees withstand external stresses through load-adaptive growth.

Roots of longleaf pine protect from strong winds by forming both large anchoring taproots and a widespread lateral root system.

The mud nest of the apostlebird is a sturdy home high in the trees, built using a jiggled-mud construction technique.

The cooling effects of shade trees in subtropical regions are most influenced by foliage density and leaf thickness, leaf texture, and leaf color lightness.

Trunk of pine tree withstands wind and snow via spiral growth.

Air-filled sacs in the pollen grains of pine trees allow pollen to travel farther through the air

Deciduous trees allow more water to reach the soil and seep into streams by seasonally shedding leaves that lose water via evaporation.

Resin produced by conifer trees protects from mechanical or insect damage because it flows, then hardens to seal the wound site.

Tall, wide trees in the forests of the Pacific Northwest serve as nurse logs to their seedlings after they fall, providing decades of water and nutrients as they slowly decay.

Bark of trees keeps surface cool by minimizing absorption of solar light and maximizing thermal emission

The structure of the cells in xylem passively moves water from roots to leaves through a system of chambers and valves, and filters out pathogens.

Trees along rivers help retain carbon in an ecosystem by adding organic debris and slowing down water.

Sharp claws on squirrel feet increase vertical agility by giving strategic points of attachment while other body structures shift direction.

Bristlecone pines can survive for thousands of years in harsh environments by shutting down non-essential processes.

Flowering of grass trees following a fire may be triggered by a huge release of ethylene gas as the trees burn.

Roots of broad-based trees with stiff trunks resist uprooting through compressive buttressing.

Bat “super” immunity combines a strong antiviral response with a subdued inflammatory reaction to endure viral infection without experiencing symptoms.

The wing of Pallas's long-tongued bat generates lift by flipping the outer edge upside down and quickly back up for the upstroke.

Bats’ immune systems evolved to slow down the response to disease-causing inflammation

Pads on the wrists and ankles of sucker-footed bats attach to smooth surfaces via wet adhesion.

The saliva of vampire bats acts as an anticoagulant due to a protein that inhibits Factor X, an enzyme involved in the coagulation pathway.

The flanks of Brazilian free-tailed bats aid thermoregulation due to a unique arrangement of arteries and veins creating thermal windows.

These fruit-eating bats home in on a meal by aiming sound waves to the side of their intended target, then adjusting their path to reduce the difference in timing between the waves bouncing back.

Sonar of big brown bats enables navigation of dense or cluttered landscapes via frequency shifting.

The digestive and circulatory systems of vampire bats lighten their load after ingesting a large volume of blood by rapidly concentrating the blood and excreting the water content.

The Vitali organ in the middle ear of the Eastern pipistrelle bat helps it hunt by sensing changes in barometric pressure that influence the number of insects flying at a given time.

'Pit organs' around the nose of vampire bat detects infrared radiation using ion channels.

The nose leaf of false vampire bats may be used in echolocation, though its role is not well understood.

The teeth of vampire bats cut into flesh painlessly because they are razor-sharp.

The long tongues of some fruit bats efficiently scoop up nectar and pollen using brush-like papillae covering the tongues' surface.

The internal magnetic compass of greater mouse-eared bats can be calibrated with directional reference from the setting sun.

Disklike structures on the wrists and ankles of Spix's disk-winged bat adhere to smooth leaves using suction adhesion.

Tactile hairs in wing membranes of bats serve as flight control organs by providing immediate sensorimotor feedback.

The body tissue of the red bat can tolerate being frozen.

Camel fur and sweat glands combine to form a powerful temperature management system.

The bigger barbules and higher number of microscopic prongs on the down of eider ducks trap more heat than other feathers.

Hibernating hedgehogs slow their metabolism and organ function to a near standstill.

Long scales on the underhair of otters and fur seals trap air to retain heat and prevent water penetration.

A distinct set of hormones alter insect behavior by changing metabolic function during times of stress.

Insulated outer leaves of the cabbage groundsel protect tender inner leaves from freezing by folding inward to enclose them at night.

Small leaves are more effective at keeping cool and protecting insect eggs from fatally high temperatures.

The leaves of groundsels on Mount Kenya are protected from frost damage by an internal antifreeze substance.

Pompeii worms tolerate the steepest temperature gradient on the planet using multiple strategies.

Honeybees cool the hive by collecting water, spreading it, and fanning to increase evaporation.

Fingertips increase touch sensitivity due to mechanoreceptors underneath the surface of the skin

Wings of morpho butterflies create color by causing light waves to diffract and interfere.

One provides shelter, the other provides fertilizer, and both are better off for it.

The respiratory system of birds facilitates efficient exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen by using air sacs to maintain a continuous unidirectional airflow through the lungs.

Guard cells use osmotic pressure to open and close stomata, allowing plants to regulate the amount of water and solutes within them. 

Leaves of the sensitive plant protect themselves from predators and environmental conditions by folding in response to touch.

The seed heads of sunflowers optimize the packing of seeds by growing florets in a spiraling pattern connected to the golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence.

By absorbing the sun’s blue and red light, chlorophyll loses electrons, which become mobile forms of chemical energy that power plant growth.

Blood-filled sinuses within the eye sockets of horned lizards squirt blood in self-defense by swelling and rupturing.

Bees and wasps build space-efficient and strong nests using hexagonal cells.