Joel Kontinen
Scientists in London filled a flight tunnel with thousands of tiny soap bubbles to reveal the motions of air as the owl flies through them. As expected, vortices formed under the wing tips, providing lift. Unexpectedly, additional vortices formed under the tail tips, providing additional lift. This trick also reduced drag, the video shows. Small fixed-wing aircraft use their tails for stability, and would become unstable if this occurred, but the owl can adjust its body and tail quickly to compensate, so it gets maximum lift with minimum drag. “Engineers might be able to copy this trick for use in aircraft that actively stabilize themselves,” the narrator says.
This quote is from Evolution News and Science Today, posted on 18 February.
Intelligent design is God's way for doing things.
Source:
Birds gliding through bubbles reveal aerodynamic trick Nature 12 February
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