“30 Animals That Made Us Smarter” features stories about the many amazing things humans have learned from the animal kingdom.
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FLOWE wind farm designThe Caltech Field Laboratory for Optimized Wind Energy
Wind farm spatial design increases efficiency
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Sharklet surface textureSharklet Technologies, LLC
Shark-inspired surface reduces bacterial growth without causing resistance
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Shinkansen TrainJapan Railways Group
High speed train silently slices through air
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Micromachined Bio-inspired Shock-absorbing SystemMolecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley
Shock absorption based on woodpeckers
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EvoLogics underwater sensorEvoLogics
Sensor for earthquakes
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Organs aid navigationdolphin
The larynx and an organ on the head of dolphins detect and identify shapes of objects by sending and detecting sonar.
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Chirps carry through waterdolphins
Chirps of dolphins carry through water because they are multi-rate, ultra-short wave forms.
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Combustion chamber sprays scalding liquidbombardier beetle
The combustion chamber of the bombardier beetle ejects scalding liquid by having a heart-shaped, long, narrow ejection tube.
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Spider silk warns birdsorb-web spider
Strands in orb-weaver spider webs warn birds, attract insects using UV-reflecting silk.
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Feet self-cleanTokay Gecko
Feet of the tokay gecko dynamically self-clean by flinging contaminants off toes.
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Skin reduces biofoulingshark
The scales of shark skin may influence attachment of fouling microorganisms via shape and surface topography.
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Olfactory cues aid in prey detectionwhite-chinned petrel
The olfactory senses of seabirds help them locate prey via detection of dimethyl sulfide released by phytoplankton.
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Water vapor harvestingNamib Desert beetle
Surfaces of wing covers on some darkling beetles gather water using nanoscale bumps and body position.
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Fog-harvesting meshMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Mesh that captures moisture from fog
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Grooves gather waterthorny devil
Grooves on spikes of thorny devil lizard provide drinking water by drawing condensed dew to mouth by capillary action.
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Sticky proteins serve as glueblue mussel
Byssal threads of the blue mussel attach to a wet, solid surface using adhesive proteins that overcome the surface’s attraction to water molecules.
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Nanostructures help transmit lightfirefly
Nanostructures on the cuticle of the firefly's abdomen help transmit bioluminescent light efficiently because they perfectly match the wavelength of light being emitted.
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Cryptobiosis protects from extremeswaterbear
The waterbear survives extreme environmental conditions by entering a reversibly suspended metabolic state known as cryptobiosis.
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Biomatrica SampleMatrix
Storage and handling of biological samples without refrigeration
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VitRIS and HydRIS vaccine stabilization technologiesNova Laboratories Ltd
Pharmaceutical products stored for long periods in non-liquid form
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Echolocation pinpoints targetEgyptian fruit bat
Echolocation of Egyptian fruit bats is used to pinpoint the position of prey after detection by directing calls at the sides of the desired target.
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Hyoid bone secures skull during impactgolden-fronted woodpecker
The hyoid bone of the golden-fronted woodpecker protects the brain from injury by acting as a securing mechanism for the brain.
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Spongey cranium absorbs impactgolden-fronted woodpecker
The skull of the golden-fronted woodpecker protects it from brain injury by absorbing shock via a plate-like spongey bone in the frontal cranium.
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Beak shape diverts impact forcesgolden-fronted woodpecker
The beak of the golden-fronted woodpecker protects the brain from trauma by having a shape and material composition that diverts vibrational forces away from the cranial cavity.
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Head cavity protects brainGolden-fronted woodpecker
The subarachnoid cavity of the golden-fronted woodpecker protects its brain from injury through decreased volume of cerebrospinal fluid.
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Needle-like structure inserts painlesslymosquito
The proboscis of the mosquito inserts painlessly because the jagged edge of the proboscis leaves only small points in contact.
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Mosquito inspired microneedleKansai University in Osaka, Japan (Seiji Aoyagi)
Mosquito bite inspires less painful injection
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Beak provides streamliningcommon kingfisher
The shape of the kingfisher beak allows it to dive into the water without splashing
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Adaptive camouflage helps blend into the environmentcuttlefish
The skin of cuttlefish changes color rapidly using elastic pigment sacs called chromatophores, in order to evade predators.
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PureBond Technology: Wood Glue Without FormaldehydeBiomimicry Institute
A case study on the development of Columbia Forest Products' bio-inspired PureBond adhesive technology and plywood products.
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PureBond technologyColumbia Forest Products
Wood glue that doesn't use formaldehyde
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ORNILUXArnold Glas
Insulated glass reduces bird collisions
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LED lighting systemKorea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Anti-reflective lens makes brighter and cheaper LED lenses
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Mound facilitates gas exchangemound-building termites
The structure of above-ground macrotermite mounds facilitates gas exchange in the below-ground nest using internal air currents driven by solar heat.
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Foragers respond to the speed and efficiency of other antsant colonies
Foragers of leafcutter ant colonies respond to the speed and efficiency of other ants by varying leaf loads in size and weight.
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Wing scales cause light to diffract and interfereMorpho butterflies
Wings of Morpho butterflies create color by causing light waves to diffract and interfere.
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