New Theory on Water Strider Propulsion

capt.Hij writes "There is an interesting article at the Christian Science Monitor about how water skimmers are able to move the way they do. This new theory debunks the previously accepted theory and answers why smaller, younger water skimmers are also able to move the same way as their elders: 'As he looked into the question, he adds, he learned that the reigning explanation leaves an unsolved puzzle: If these tiny insects propel themselves in the way many researchers think they do, then baby water striders should go nowhere fast.'" There's also a BBC story with pictures.

Comments

Amazing

[Vexalith]

I think it's an interesting reflection on humanity when evolution can throw up designs that we can't properly understand even with all of our apparent science and technology (bees, water striders, the thought process). It just goes to show that for every fact or theory we think we know there are far more that we don't, which gives me great confidence in the progress of human science and technology over the next few thousand years.

Re:Don't need to read it.

[The Ape With No Name]

Ummm. CSM is about as good as a balanced source as you will find and, despite the name, they don't do ridiculous things like you are talking about. My local rag will probably run this on the Religion section this week rather than the Science page. You should know better. Kind of like Brit "Goebbels" Hume, questioning the source of an eyewitness account of American soldiers abusing Iraqi citizens, by saying, "What do we know about this paper The Manchester Guardian?" rather than saying, "Secondary sources have yet to confirm or deny the report from the Guardian.

Re:Wrong.

[JonathanBoyd]

If you can have miracles, that doesn't mean that you can't apply science the rest of the time. The two aren't incompatible.