Scientific progress within the last few decades has revealed the functional morphology of an insect’s sticky footpads—a compliant pad that secretes thin liquid films. However, the physico-chemical mechanisms underlying their adhesion remain elusive. Here, we explore these underlying mechanisms by simultaneously measuring adhesive force and contact geometry of the adhesive footpads of live, tethered Indian stick insects, Carausius morosus, spanning […]
Category: Fluid Mechanics
New Paper! Splash-cup plant seed dispersal in Journal of the Royal Society Interface
Splash-cup plants disperse propagules via raindrops striking cup-shaped fruiting bodies. The seeds are ejected at velocities up to five times the impact speed of the raindrop and are dispersed up to 1 m from the parent plant. Here, we examine the effects of cup angles and the presence of seed mimics to understand the dynamics of this unique method of […]
Using deep reinforcement learning to model storm petrel behaviors
Storm petrels are crazy little oceanic birds that often “hop” on the water’s surface. Nobody knows why. It’s a difficult thing to study–the birds are doing this behavior in the middle of the ocean. Do they perform this behavior to save energy via weight support? Do they use their feet as an “anchor” in high wind? We wanted to know […]