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Top 10 Ways Nature Is Mimicking Our Technology
Nature has a tendency to mimic the technology humans use. Surprised? Let’s take a look at 10 instances where animals, bacteria, and plants use technology to communicate and function.
10. Some small insects have gears in their legs
Cambridge University was doing a routine study of animal movement recently. During the study, scientists noticed something strange about the locomotive processes of insects. They seemed to have gears attached to their legs. After closer examination, it was discovered to be in fact the case. This is the first known case of mechanical gears being used animals.
9. Spider uses slingshot to catch its prey
A video circulating on the web has captured a small spider using a slingshot to catch its prey. The Georgia Institute of Technology student Troy Alexander was the first person to notice this unusual behaviour. The spider family was only discovered 80 years ago and there is a great deal of study required in order to better understand their habits. Click here to watch video.
8. Harvester Ants Behave Like Internet Protocols
Scientists figured out that when foraging, harvester ants work in the same way as Internet Protocols; just without thee computer. Ants are good at monitoring the speed of which the foragers return to the next. If the ant returns quickly, this means that the food supply is plentiful. If it takes longer to return, the colony knows that the food supplies are restricted.
7. Bacteria Build Their Own Social Networks
Bacteria would be the last possible answer that comes to mind when thinking of social creatures. After all they do not communicators, and they surely don’t have a Facebook or LinkedIn account. But recent research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has proven us wrong. Bacteria do form their own sort of “social networks.” A single cell bacterium, Myxococcus xanthus, which flourishes in soil, forms connections with others of its kind when in close contact, and uses those links to communicate important information, such as how to safeguard against enemies. M. xanthus also uses these links to work together with its fellows to surround its favorite food, the well-known bacterium E. coli is a perfect example.
6. Microbes Create their Own Hard Drive Clusters
According to researchers from U.K.’s University of Leeds and Japan’s Tokyo University of agriculture, magnet-making bacteria may be building biological computers of the future. The research these studies are doing may lead to the creation of much faster loading hard drives. The study focused on naturally-magnetic microorganisms that live in aquatic environments such as ponds and lakes where oxygen levels are scarce.
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