fluids | Biomechanics in the Wild

Lymphatic Vessels: Your Body’s Fluid Highway

4 pictures side by side of 4 stages of upper limb lymphedema. 2 arms of a person extended out in front of them as swelling increases from left (stage 1) to right (stage 4). Taken from Wikimedia Commons. — Lymphedema staging for upper limbs. By DocHealer – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64120555

Have you ever heard about the lymphatic system that runs through your body? This system consists of organs, tissues and vessels that are important because it helps your immune cells move, helps your body absorb nutrients, and helps keep all the fluids balanced within your body. It is important to understand the way this system works, because when this system is damaged or not working properly it can lead to severe swelling of limbs (lymphedema), buildup of fats within your blood vessels which can eventually heart attacks (atherosclerosis), and even can contribute to cancer (To learn more).

Innovative plant: How does the dandelion drift its seeds?

How far do you think a dandelion seed can drift from its base plant?

Whirlybirds, helicopters, and Maple seeds

As Maple trees shed their fruits, it is hard not to be captivated by the view and stare in admiration. The free fall of maple seeds is simply graceful. Commonly referred to as helicopters, samaras are the fruit of Maple trees. Inside of each fruit one can find seeds that are used by the parent plant to produce new ones. The nickname helicopter refers to the similarity that exists between its motion as it falls to the ground and that of a helicopter. Indeed, a remarkable aspect of the samaras is the behavior they display as they fall. As the fruit of the Maple seed descends to the ground, it performs a rotating motion that mimics the rotor blade of helicopters in unpowered descent, a behavior that has intrigued scientists and has been the subject of many studies. The auto-gyration motion and flight mechanics of the samaras have been observed in order to explain why and how the fruit rotates on itself as it leaves the tree.

Do Hammer-Shaped Heads Help Sharks Swim?

With their sandpaper skin, cartilage skeleton, electroreceptive sensors, and rows of dangerous teeth, sharks fascinate many people. However, even within this distinctive group the hammerhead sharks that make up the Sphyrnidae family have attracted a special attention due to the unusual shapes of their namesake heads, called cephalofoils. Several evolutionary benefits of the cephalofoil have been proposed by researchers. The wide hammer-shaped head may allow the shark to house more sensory receptors in its snout, to bludgeon prey, and to move and maneuver through the water more easily. Here we will address the question posed by the third theory: Does the cephalofoil found on hammerhead sharks provide an advantage in moving and maneuvering underwater?

Tag: fluids