Category: student post

The Common Murre!

Yet another animal who can’t decide between the water and the sky, the Common Murre is a part of the Alcide family which contains two main species of birds (Common Murre and Thick Billed Murre). This penguin-like flyer lives in the cooler northern regions of both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, although the Atlantic population […]

A Robot that Flies like a Bird

For centuries, man has been possessed by the desire to fly. Naturally, nearly every inventor drew inspiration from the flight of birds. Nearly all of the earliest designs for flying machines attempt to replicate a bird’s flapping wings. Unfortunately, replicating a bird’s flight is exceedingly more difficult than one might anticipate. In fact, the motion […]

The Flying Mobula Ray

When it comes to sea dwelling animals, many people picture these creatures submerged in water all of the time.  However, could it be possible for them to fly? In the case of the Mobula Ray, the answer is yes.  This 17 foot long flat bodied ray, weighing over a ton, has the ability to launch […]

The Physics of Wingsuits

The amazing thing about the flight of animals is the seemingly simple nature yet unbelievable complexity of their evolved structures.  You would think that to mimic a flying squirrel would be easy, right? You know, just slap on a pair of wings and jump off of something. It couldn’t be that difficult. Wrong. It has […]

Gliding Vine Seeds

Alsomitra macrocarpa, known as the Alsomitra vine or the Javan cucumber is “a type of climbing gourd.” The vine is found mainly in the forests of Java, Indonesia.  Where it grows truly remarkable seeds by the hundreds in “football-sized pods.” What makes these seeds so remarkable is the fact that they are virtually aerodynamically perfect […]