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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.
They move by using their mid leg pair as oars and the back pair as steering wheels. Previously, researchers thought they generated small waves, but baby water striders are too small to generate waves big enough to move on. The new research show that the waves are a biproduct of using the middle pair as oars, not the reason they move. Pictures here, same news in norwegian here.
The Independent has a related article here.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
My mother was raised literally on the river (towboat pilot Dad), and knows how to "scull" (propel a small boat from the stern using a single oar or paddle.) The oar stays in the water and does describe a circular or elliptical path. It's about the weirdest means of locomotion I've ever seen, and doesn't look like it should work. But I can vouch that it does.
I could never do it, although I was just a kid the last time I tried. Anyone here who can?
Everybody whose anybody knows waterstriders use anti-matter as propulsion.
All I know about water skimmers/skippers is they're a bugger to hit with rocks, unless you get a really big, flat rock and even then you mostly just get yourself wet and still miss the skimmer.
"Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither!"
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.
They move because they put their faith in jesus and he spirits them along over the water on the wings of christ.
Damn dude, it said the CHRISTIAN science monitor.
You remember.. the people who don't believe in evolution? Or stem cell research? Or cloning?
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.
Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
Nope. It's a feature!
meh.
It seems that we have a Christian source of information related to walking on water?
:-)
At least it is their own IP
Now this is a troll if I ever saw one. Bromine is the only liquid nonmetallic element. It is a heavy, mobile, reddish-brown liquid, volatilizing readily at room temperature. It is toxic comparable to chlorine. The surface tension of bromine is LESS then that of the water.
Cat (or any other live being) in a large pool of bromine has a life expectancy of a few minutes. And yes it would sink.
> Now all we need is to figure out how to make water have enough tension to hold a person. Hrmm...
Simple. This happens naturally where I live. I simply have to wait until, say, mid-November. The surface tension remains high until some time in spring. It only works for water kept outside or in an unheated building.
-srw