How dandelion seeds take flight, and more…
In a study inspired by a field of dandelions, researchers wanted to know why, when you blow on a dandelion seed head, only the seeds closest to you take flight. They found that a dimple in the seed heads where the seed attaches is larger on one side than the other, and that the seeds consistently broke off from the smaller side of that dimple. Once they take flight, each dandelion seed uses its unique shape to catch a ride on the wind.
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- These arms are made for lovin'. How male octopuses find their mates
- From the archives: Donald Johanson on the discovery of 'Lucy,' our missing link
- Virtual hearts help doctors fix patients’ life-threatening irregular heart beats
- Quirks Question: What’s the benefit for trees being evergreen?
More description
In a study inspired by a field of dandelions, researchers wanted to know why, when you blow on a dandelion seed head, only the seeds closest to you take flight. They found that a dimple in the seed heads where the seed attaches is larger on one side than the other, and that the seeds consistently broke off from the smaller side of that dimple. Once they take flight, each dandelion seed uses its unique shape to catch a ride on the wind.
PLUS:
- Infrasound, not ghosts, may be why old buildings give us the heebie-jeebies
- These arms are made for lovin'. How male octopuses find their mates
- From the archives: Donald Johanson on the discovery of 'Lucy,' our missing link
- Virtual hearts help doctors fix patients’ life-threatening irregular heart beats
- Quirks Question: What’s the benefit for trees being evergreen?
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