Posts by: Melinda Le

An Unconventional Lift-Enhancing Mechanism: Clap and Fling

December 8, 2012 at 5:28 pm

Animal and insect wings are considerably different from those of an airplane. As a result, it isn’t much of a surprise that they use different mechanisms to generate lift. One of these peculiar mechanisms is the “clap and fling.” Torkel Weis-Fogh introduced this mechanism in order to explain the aerodynamic forces that some insects are […]

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You’ve Heard of Flying Squirrels, But Have You Heard of Flying Squid?

November 18, 2012 at 9:25 pm

Many are skeptical of the idea of flying, especially when they are told that animals other than birds or insects are capable of achieving flight. For this reason, the concept of flying squids sounds a little ridiculous. However, squid are accustomed to gliding in water, which means that they are able to use the same techniques […]

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