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: Physics
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 […]
New Paper! The effect of external flow on 3D orientation of Vorticella convallaria
In this paper, we examined how external flow influenced the feeding behavior and biomechanics of the unicellular Vorticella convallaria, a model organism for sessile suspension feeders. It was an invited paper at the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Check it out here.