Aerodynamic Biocar Based on Boxfish

October 16, 2011 at 10:51 pm

Nowadays, everything is about green technology or efficiency. We have cars like the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt which both produce far less emissions than your average passenger car. These cars are great solutions to the environmental problems that we currently face as a society of consumers.

However, we have yet to design a car with the perfect blend of aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical competence. But now we are one step closer, thanks to nature.

In trying to design the car of the future, engineers have looked to the greatest scientist of yellow_boxfishall for help- nature. Nature has been designing creatures with great aerodynamics for millions of years. Engineers set out to copy evolution’s design. Their chosen model: the boxfish.

Despite its generally boxy shape, the fish is actually incredibly streamlined. While we think efficiency comes from beautifully curved lines and low profiles, nature has proved us wrong. Engineers constructed a model of the fish and placed it in a wind tunnel. The drag coefficient was an amazing 0.06. Most sharks have a drag coefficient of 0.1, so why do we keep designing cars that look like sharks?!

Designers created a 1:4 model of a vehicle based on the boxfish’s square lines. Upon testing the model, they found its drag coefficient to be 0.095. Such a low number is unprecedented among automobiles.

Mercedes-Benz built a “bio-car” based on these new discoveries. Upon completion, the car’s coefficient of drag was 0.19. This number is very low, especially for a car of the size. For purposes of perspective, the coefficient of drag of a Jeep Wrangler is about 0.58.

The car’s light weight and incredible aerodynamics allow it to consume about 20% less fuel than the average compact car. It also produces about 80% less nitrous oxide! Tests have put the car’s fuel efficiency at around 50 to 70 miles per gallon. The vehicle requires no special fuels, such as electric cars; it runs on readily available biodiesel.

The car has room to seat four comfortably and still carry ample cargo.

The only problem so far: it’s ugly and it looks like a fish.

biocar

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By Stephen Deschamps | Posted in student post | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

The Bumblebee Bat!

October 16, 2011 at 7:45 pm

Kitti's Hog-nosed bat ( the bumblebee bat) is an endangered bat with a total population of about 4000 and is the world smallest mammal. It has a length of 1.1-1.3 inches, a wingspan of 6-7 inches, and a weight of only 2 grams. This endangered creature is limited to living in limestone caves typically near rivers, in colonies of anywhere between 10-100 individuals. The Bumblebee bat's flight time is usually only 20-30 minutes and and they stay within a mile radius of their home when foraging for food.

It is hard for us to understand what the evolution process has been like for the bumblebee bat. They certainly branched off from the other bats at some point, but it is uncertain where or when since there are no fossil records. Despite its small size, the bat has very strong legs and claws. They have a tendon locking mechanism in their toes that allows them to roost while expending very little energy. Experts have wondered how this creature is capable of flight with such bizarre dimensions. Its wingspan is fairly large in proportion to its body, which weighs less than a penny. There is also extra webbing between the hind legs in this species of bat and this enables them to fly and effectively control their flight.

Kittis-hog-nosed-bat

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By chraish | Posted in student post | Tagged | Comments (1)

A High-Flying Bird

October 16, 2011 at 6:41 pm

As humans, we usually think that most birds fly pretty high. But when you actually find out how high some of these birds really fly, you would be astounded. The bar-headed goose is one of world's highest flying bird. These birds have been spotted flying over impressive heights such as Mount Everest (29,029 feet!) and Mount Makalu (27,825 feet!). When migrating, these birds are known for flying at these impressive heights for over eight hours straight.

They impressively complete their ascent with their own muscularity, and with little-to-no help from updrafts or tailwinds. Unlike other birds who use wind and drafts to help them glide, the bar-headed goose in-fact reaches its altitude with vigorous flapping. The amount of work they do when ascending is quite fascinating, and also seems impossible for such a small bird. These birds have more capillaries and red blood cells than the average bird, which ultimately helps oxygen reach their muscles much quicker. Another trait that contributes to their high-altitude ascension is their hyperventilation. This bird is able to breathe in and breathe out very quickly without getting dizzy or losing consciousness (as humans would).

Bar-headed_Goose_-_St_James's_Park,_London_-_Nov_2006

These birds choose to fly at night when migrating, which makes sense because that is when high winds are mostly absent. This goes to show the intelligence and strategical thinking that the bar-headed goose has. If you are ever climbing a high mountain, or near a place with high altitude (make sure you have binoculars), look for the birds light brown color with a black and white-striped head tagged with a very yellow beak. And if you don't have your binoculars, LISTEN, because these birds honk very loudly when migrating.

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By Gabriel Beru | Posted in student post | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Nature’s Original Fliers

October 16, 2011 at 6:25 pm

Before any bird ever took flight, a different kind of creature ruled the sky. Pterosaurs, evolving 220 million years ago and a contemporary of the dinosaur, were among nature’s first fliers. They ranged in size from modern-day pigeons to “small airplane[s]”, the largest weighing up to a quarter ton. When they were on the ground they stood upright, on all four legs. For a long while, the flight of these animals baffled paleontologists and biologists. Something that large shouldn’t be able to fly. But the more we learn about these ancient pterosaurs, the more it seems that they aren’t that different from the creatures in the sky today.

It had previously been though that pterosaurs had a rigid bone structure. Consequently, it would have a harder time drawing in oxygen and generating enough power to stay in the air. But researchers at Holy Cross and the University of Leicester were lucky enough to examine an intact ribcage, giving a better perspective on how these animals were built.

As it turns out, pterosaurs’ bone structure shares many similarities with modern-day birds. Air sacs connected to the creature’s lungs ran through its limbs to its outermost extremities, allowing for more efficient respiration and a lighter skeleton.

Interestingly, it seems that the pterosaur would’ve been able to use the air sacs to change the shape of its wings, perhaps in the same manner a bird sweeps its wings to adjust the lift and drag being produced.

But pterosaurs did not fly like birds; they were simply too large and their wings couldn’t produce enough lift to take off from a stationary start. Instead, researchers at Chatham University think that their anatomy suggests that they vaulted into the air, utilizing all four limbs.

Today, vampire bats take off in the exact same way, using their forearms. As with the pterosaur, this allows them to take off without a cliff or running start.

Both the pterosaurs’ hollow bones and vaulting takeoff are amazing examples of convergent evolution. Before birds took to the sky, reptiles had developed the same lightweight skeletal structure, 70 million years earlier. Before any bat had propelled itself using its front limbs, pterosaurs had already mastered the technique. Although all of these creatures are very genetically different and evolved millions of years apart, all developed very similar traits. It seems that when nature wants to get a creature up in the air, it sticks to the tried and true.

Sources:

Bird-like Lungs Powered Giant Pterosaur Flight

Did Giant Pterosaurs Vault Aloft Like Vampire Bats?

How Stuff Works: Pterosaurs

By Luke Loreti | Posted in student post | Tagged | Comments (4)

The REAL Reason why Ostriches Can’t Fly

October 16, 2011 at 4:54 pm

Many think that the main reason as to why ostriches cannot fly is because of their massive weight; this is true. However, the mass extinction of the dinosaur population also heavily contributes to why the ostrich remains flightless. When dinosaurs ruled the world, their large body size, accompanied with rapid mating techniques, took up most of the space of their environment. And when they went extinct, there was A LOT of free land to be accounted for.

Because of all of this free land, many aerial animals (most importantly birds) began to adjust to land life. One these birds was the ostrich. As time passed, and evolution began to take its course, the ostrich began to gain in size and adapt to their "new" life. And as these birds got bigger, they began to lose the ability to fly. The common misconception of the ostrich is that its ancestor was also a flightless bird: THIS IS INCORRECT! The ancestor of the ostrich was in-fact a flying bird, however because of the aforementioned conditions it lost its ability to fly.

Ostrich

The ostrich did not only evolve in a way that made it lose its ability to fly. They in-fact forgot how to fly. This loss of knowledge can be contributed to one thing: evolution. This is the same reason why humans have a tailbone, but no tail. The tail is useless to the human species, but our ancestors (primates) had them.

The ostrich does in-fact have wings, however they use them in a different way. The animal is known for its rapid quickness. To maintain its balance and to help steer, the animal's wings come in handy. Their wingspan is about seven feet wide, which actually helps them mate with females as well as provide shade for chicks! Overall, this quite the magnificent bird, and although it does not fly anymore, it can run as fast as 60 mph!

Sources:

"Birds: Ostrich." Sandiegozoo.com. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-ostrich.html>.

Choi, Charles Q. "Why Ostriches Can't Fly." LiveScience.com. 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.livescience.com/8055-ostriches-fly.html>.

"The Ostrich." Welcome to the CCEL | Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ccel.org/c/cook/animals/h/webdoc20.htm>.

By Gabriel Beru | Posted in student post | Tagged , | Comments (2)