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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.
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.
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.
I think you may be misunderstanding where the name "Christian Science Monitor" is coming from. This is NOT a journal of science put out by Christians (creationist or otherwise) The CSM is a paper that was founded by a religous group founded in the 1800's known as the "Christian Scientists" or more formally "The Church of Christ, Scientist". The group is often considered a cult and is pretty much disavowed by both christians and scientists (and presumably christian scientists that are not "Christian Scientists"). From time to time they get in the papers because at the core of their beliefs is faith healing, or more accurately that there really is no such thing sickness anyway, so they will refuse medical treatment for themselves and their children.
The Christian Science Monitor itself is a highly respected paper and while I think it is still officially owned by the church I think they have a hands off approach to running it and if they are using it for "evangelistic" purposes they use it by putting out a very high quality paper that by it's quality lends credibility to their group rather than using it as a polemic tool in itself. It's seems it's sort of like the Moonies owning the Washington Times rather than like an official organ of the church.