AskNature

Penguin feathers trap and release air that forms a lubricating layer around them when speeding through water.

Several forms of feathers work together to trap air to retain warmth by forming a continuous layer around the body.

Vibrio harveyi bacteria protect themselves from the damaging effects of UV radiation by channeling the UV energy to bioluminescent proteins.

Peptides found in the protein cytokeratin 6A in humans protect from microbial infection by inhibiting bacterial mobility.

Snow algae protects against UV damage via a red carotenoid pigment.

Inhaled molecules absorb into mucus in the nasal epithelium and bind with olfactory receptors, triggering a unique code that tells the brain what it’s smelling.

Human kidneys filter waste from the blood and recycle beneficial compounds back into it using osmosis, variations in membrane permeability, and protein pumps.

Mussel byssal threads attach to wet rocks using adhesive proteins that first prime their surfaces and then chemically bind to them.

The spongy bones of humans handle stress efficiently via the distribution of fine strands called trabeculae.

Mosquitoes use fine hairs to hear sounds up to 10 meters (32 feet) away

Quills of the North American porcupine penetrate tissue easily due to stress concentration at the barbs that likely stretches or tears tissue fibers locally at the interface of the quill.

Harbor seal whiskers sense the wake left by swimming prey by cancelling out signals from the seal’s own movement.  

Skin of humans self-repairs through an over-lapping sequence of cellular activities.

Chamber-cored fibers capture sunlight, gather heat, and retain both to keep the polar bear warm.

Antarctic crustaceans create wax within their bodies to help them sink deep into the water to hibernate for winter.

Petals of pansy flowers maintain self-cleaning without sacrificing grip because of cone-shaped cells.

Rotator cuff in humans manages force via an extra pliable region

The mosquito, Culiseta longiareolata, protects its offspring by sensing chemicals released by its predator, the backswimmer, Notonecta maculata, before laying its eggs.

Macrophages use communication to scale defense strength to threat

The scales of shark skin may influence attachment of fouling microorganisms via shape and surface topography.

Fingertips of primates enhance grip in wet conditions by wrinkling

The cuticular structures on the surface of the proboscis of a butterfly form a sealed coil against the head of the insect by interlocking in various directions.

Gas-filled floats help keep kelp fronds near the water surface to enhance photosynthesis.

Groups of emperor penguins use social huddling to protect themselves from the cold.

Compound eyes on the mosquito are anti-fogging surfaces due to small hierarchical structures that create an air barrier.

Ridged surfaces on mussel shells resist biofouling by disrupting attachment.

The highly sensitive whiskers of harbor seals reduce vortex-induced vibrations during swimming due to their undulating surface structure.

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

The tusks of a walrus are tools that have social and mechanical functions.

Limbs of crustaceans allow movement along several planes by clustering two or three joints on a limb, each working in a different direction.

The byssus threads of mollusks are strong anchors that can resist hydrodynamic forces because of mechanically distinct regions within each thread.

The feathers of penguins prevent water from penetrating to the skin due to their stiff, tightly packed structure.

Teeth of humans regenerate due to a peptide, P 11-4, that forms into fibers that attract calcium and causes generation of minerals from within.

The coat of reindeer repels water via long guard hairs.

The skin of humans regulates water movement with proteins, water-capturing molecules, and fats.

The antennae of male mosquitoes sense vibrations via fine, hair-like structures that respond to oscillations of air particles.

Lysosomes in human cells recycle amino acid building blocks by capturing and breaking down malfunctioning proteins.

The mosquito's proboscis is a natural biomicroelectromechanical system that painlessly pierces human skin.

Alveoli in lungs improve gas exchange by increasing the surface area of the lungs.

The fatty membranes of cells are capable of self-repair using a mechanism that involves calcium-dependent exocytosis.

The tongue of the reindeer or caribou cools blood heading to the brain under duress by being high vascularized.

Legs of mosquitoes allow it to float due to scales that structurally maximize trapping of air.

The cuticle of arthropods provides rigid protection via its composite structure.

Veins and arteries of Cuvier's beaked whales manage heat through different configurations of counter-current heat exchangers.

The genomic DNA of humans is densely packed without knots into individual cells via fractal globule architecture.

Fur and feathers of seals and penguins help them get a grip to climb ice floes and snow thanks to their stiffness.

Brazil nut seed pods hurtle down from tall treetops, but their complex structure deters them from cracking open. 

Crustaceans conserve minerals when moulting by absorbing calcium carbonate from their shell before it is shed.

Arteries of humans enhance transport of molecules between blood and the wall by having a helical structure.

Neurons aid organisms in reacting to environmental stimuli because they collaborate to sense the environment, share information, and filter unimportant information

The stems of cushion plants prevent moisture loss due to their fibrous bulk.

Quills of porcupines resist buckling because they are made of a dense outer shell surrounding an elastic, honeycomb-like core.

The byssal threads of mussels display both hardness and extensibility thanks to sacrificial cross-links in the outer cuticle.

Baleen in throat of bowhead whale traps prey by tangling fringed edges together.

Human skin maintains its structural rigidity while expanding in water due to helical fibers of keratin woven into a three-dimensional pattern.

Respiratory enzymes in Acidiphilium cryptum bacteria detoxify hexavalent chromium compounds even under highly acidic conditions by shuttling electrons from several sources.

Tissues of Arctic ground squirrels are protected from damage by suppressing androgen receptors except in muscles.

Proteins produced by the bacteria Pyrococcus furiosus contain metal atoms that enable the proteins to catalyze important chemical reactions.

The fur of seals may help them swim efficiently by maintaining laminar flow.

The eye lens of the Antarctic toothfish avoids cold-cataracts at temperatures cold enough to freeze sea water by maintaining the right concentration of three isoforms of crytallin proteins.

The olfactory system of malarial mosquitoes detects carbon dioxide from potential hosts via a sensory mouth appendage, called a maxillary palp.

The tusks of male narwhals may detect chemicals related to ice formation, salinity, or prey using a vast network of fluid-filled tubules connected to the tusk's central nerve.

The cochlea of the human ear helps us hear deep vibrations by directing low-frequency waves into the tightest turns of its spiral.

The metabolism of Pseudomonas and other aerobic microorganisms is capable of breaking down hydrocarbons in crude oil.

The liquid cell contents of snow algae are kept liquid in freezing temperatures because the algae manufacture their own antifreeze.

The hairs on the antennae of some male mosquitoes are elevated by hydrating protein pads adjacent to each hair socket.

The joints of some arthropods have two degrees of bending freedom (up-down and left-right) thanks to two 1-degree bending joints found at right angles to each other.

The thoracic flight muscles of Arctic bumblebees generate heat by shivering.

The stems of cushion plants reabsorb nutrients from dead leaves by sending out lateral rootlets.

Lubricating synovial fluid in joints protects from friction via a brush-like phase of charged macromolecules.

The stems of cushion plants protect from the wind via tight packing.

The blood of humans distributes oxygen through the body via hemoglobin with adjustable oxygen affinity.

The metabolism of Archaeoglobus and other anaerobic microorganisms is capable of breaking down hydrocarbons in crude oil.

Multiple components allow skin to heal, feel, and more.

The larvae of dragonflies squirt water out their anuses to lunge forward after prey thanks to hydraulic linkages.

The leaves of the Australian stinging tree and other plants protect themselves from herbivory with venomous stinging hairs.

Silica-based skeletons of microscopic diatoms offer significant resistance to impact forces due to symmetry, pores, nanospheres, and ribs.

Kidneys of humans filter impurities by use of a dual membrane system.

The blood of some Antarctic ice fishes resists freezing via a glycoprotein that lowers the temperature at which ice crystals enlarge.

The stems of cushion plants protect from the cold via tight packing.

Muscles of humans go through self-repair and remodeling due to a modular system that incorporates nutrient and waste transport.

The aortic valve in vertebrate hearts allows the tissue to expand under high pressures by having elastic properties.

The beaks of emperor penguins reflect UV light via a multilayer reflector photonic microstructure.

Chaparonins in human cells rehabilitate misfolded proteins by capturing them in confined spaces causing them to unfold, giving them a second chance at refolding into their properly functioning, three-dimensional configuration.