Day 3742: Springtails and Cats.

  

"Strikes": junk mail collage.

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Springtails Are Nature’s Tiny Gymnasts

 The insect-like creatures that leap through the air with remarkable control might inspire new jumping robots

Scientists have long assumed that springtails—teeny-tiny insect-like creatures found all over the world—fling themselves into the air at random to flee predators and other dangers. To the naked eye, their signature jumping motion appears uncontrolled, flailing and aimless.

But when captured with sophisticated cameras that slow down their movements, springtails actually look like skilled little gymnasts, perfectly executing gravity-defying flips that can number up to 500 per second—and they land on their feet most of the time.

These findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenge the long-held belief that springtails have no control over their explosive bounces. Inspired by this not-so-random jumping, the scientists also built springtail-like leaping robots. Video, here.

Victor Ortega-Jiménez and study co-author Saad Bhamla looking for springtails Courtesy of Georgia Tech

While watching the little hexapods leap, Ortega-Jiménez got the distinct impression that, contrary to popular scientific opinion, they knew exactly what they were doing in the air. They jumped in specific directions, righted themselves in the air and adjusted their body positioning to land on their feet again.

This special ability comes from springtails’ unique body parts, the footage reveals. They use a long, hinged, tail-like appendage called a furcula to smack the water’s surface, launching them into the air. As they fly, they bend into a “U” shape to slow their spinning. And an abdominal tube called a collophore helps them stick the landing. This tube picks up a drop of water at takeoff, which stabilizes the springtail while in the air and acts as an anchor to perfect water landings, even inside a laboratory wind tunnel.

 

Memory Game Challenges You To Find the Purrfect Match of Cats and Their Human Look-Alikes

   Cats have personalities that are as distinct as humans with looks to match. So, it should come as no surprise that people are drawn to a feline who possesses the same qualities they have. But just how good are you at identifying them? The new game Do You Look Like Your Cat? will test your abilities through matching and memory.

Do You Look Like Your Cat? is a follow-up to the beloved game Do You Look Like Your Dog? which challenges players to pair the pup with their look-alike human. The cat-ifed version of the game follows a similar format with the same bright color palette and quirky portraits shot by photographer Gerrard Gethings. Some of the pairings include an adorable exotic shorthair with a worried look and a white mustache, and a concerned man with similar facial hair. Another match is a surly-looking exotic longhair with an impressive mane who is a counterpart to a bearded biker with equally long “whiskers.” In total, there are 25 of these matches (50 cards) that are intended to be played in a memory game format.

Photographer Gerrard Gethings snapped quirky portraits for the cat memory game titled Do You Look Like Your Cat?

  

 

  

 

 

The box game was released by Laurence King Publishing and is available for purchase on Amazon.

 

 

 

 

A terrific 1+minute video, iphone, here.

 

Just because ...

 

Palawan Peacock Pheasant

 

 

Smiles for Thursday ...

  

   

  

 
 

  

 

  

 

 

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