An owl bursting through a cloud of bubbles is helping researchers better understand the aerodynamics of flight. Researchers in London have discovered a new way in which birds use their tail to provide lift and so reduce drag while gliding. They tracked the swirling motion of more than 20,000 helium-filled soap bubbles as they were displaced by birds of prey in flight. Their findings could provide a new way to improve the efficiency of small gliding aircraft.
- Nature Video
Birds gliding through bubbles reveal aerodynamic trick
-
Shamini Bundell
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00418-5
Read the original research paper at: https://jeb.biologists.org/content/223/3/jeb214809
Related Articles
Subjects
Latest on:
Jobs
-
Staff Scientist
A Staff Scientist position is available in the laboratory of Drs. Elliot and Glassberg to study translational aspects of lung injury, repair and fibro
Maywood, Illinois
Loyola University Chicago - Department of Medicine
-
W3-Professorship (with tenure) in Inorganic Chemistry
The Institute of Inorganic Chemistry in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Bonn invites applications for a W3-Pro...
53113, Zentrum (DE)
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität
-
Principal Investigator Positions at the Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing
Studies of mechanisms of human diseases, drug discovery, biomedical engineering, public health and relevant interdisciplinary fields.
Beijing, China
The Chinese Institutes for Medical Research (CIMR), Beijing
-
Research Associate - Neural Development Disorders
Houston, Texas (US)
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)
-
Staff Scientist - Mitochondria and Surgery
Houston, Texas (US)
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)