• Elasticity key to plants and animals' ab

    From ScienceDaily@1337:3/111 to All on Mon Jun 15 21:30:32 2020
    Elasticity key to plants and animals' ability to sting

    Date:
    June 15, 2020
    Source:
    Technical University of Denmark
    Summary:
    A new study explains for the very first time the principles behind
    the design of stings, needles, and spikes in animals and plants. The
    principles can be directly used in the development of new tools
    and medical equipment.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Kaare Hartvig Jensen and his colleagues at DTU Physics had repeated
    experiences where the small glass pipettes they use to extract fluid
    from plant cells broke upon contact with the cell wall. This annoyed
    the researchers and aroused their interest in similar pointed objects in
    nature that do not break when used. That includes thorns on plants such
    as cacti and nettles or the stings and spines of many insects, algae, hedgehogs, and other animals.


    ==========================================================================
    The idea of seeking inspiration in nature is not new to Kaare Hartvig
    Jensen, who belongs to a growing group of biomimetics researchers. They
    focus on exploring nature design to find inspiration for technical
    innovations related to, for example, tools and medical equipment.

    Based on a wide range of experiments To acquire more knowledge on
    the subject, Kaare Hartvig Jensen and his colleagues conducted model experiments and collected data from more than 200 species, examining
    the design of various pointed objects in animals and plants.

    Their field of study was broad and included pointed parts of plants or
    animals used for very different purposes, for example for sticking to
    a surface, ingesting nourishment, or defence. The analysis furthermore
    included needles or stings on animals and plants which are made of
    vastly different materials and sizes, ranging from the smallest viruses
    and algae spikes, measuring just 50 nanometres, to the world's longest
    pointed part of an animal, the 2.5 metre narwhal tusk.

    The researchers also included the design of human-made pointed objects
    such as nails, syringe needles, and weapons (ancient spears and lances)
    up to six metres long.

    Design ensures strength and elasticity The large database allowed the researchers to identify how nature's pointy tools are designed to be
    both strong enough to penetrate human or animal skin, for example, and
    hard enough to ensure the tip does not break when coming into contact
    with the skin.



    ==========================================================================
    "Our results showed that there is a clear correlation between the length
    of a needle or sting and its diameter, both close to the tip and where
    it attaches to the plant or animal. In this way, both the necessary
    strength and elasticity of the tip can be ensured, whether on a nettle
    or a mosquito" says Kaare Hartvig Jensen.

    "At the same time, it's clear that the pointy tools of nature are on
    the very edge of what is physically possible. And it's also clear that
    the designs are very similar, regardless of whether we're looking at
    the nanoscale spikes of a virus or a swordfish's 1.5 metre bill," says
    Kaare Hartvig Jensen.

    The findings from the new study have recently been published in the
    scientific journal Nature Physics.

    The study also included human-made pointed objects that have already
    mimicked natural shapes to a large extent.

    "This new knowledge of how to calculate the optimal design of a pointed
    object can in future be used to design, e.g., syringe needles to optimize
    the allocation of medication. Or in designing nails, enabling a reduction
    of material consumption without losing the necessary stability," says
    Kaare Hartvig Jensen.

    The researchers themselves have also used the results to redesign their
    glass pipettes so they no longer experience breakage when extracting
    fluid from plant cells.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
    Technical_University_of_Denmark. Original written by Anne Kirsten
    Frederiksen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Kaare H. Jensen, Jan Knoblauch, Anneline H. Christensen, Katrine S.

    Haaning, Keunhwan Park. Universal elastic mechanism for stinger
    design.

    Nature Physics, 2020; DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-0930-9 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200615115803.htm

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