In "Maths explains how bees can stay airborne with such tiny wings," scientists have found an exact lift-generated pattern of bee's tiny wing after being mysterious. Once, its flying pattern is believed that it is similar to "a commercial plane". Then later they find that it has an abnormal technique called "leading edge vortices(LEVs)" on its wing which generates "tiny tornado-like airflows," But what they find today after considering many models and experiments is that it, LEVs, "don’t directly generate the lift"; "LEVs mean the wing can fly at a much higher angle of attack without stalling," says Nabawy. This technique also enables insects and many flying creatures to stay in the air. Moreover, Bomphrey says that this finding is useful for further development of our flying vehicles.
_______________________________________
My response
Like my last blog, I tried to find any article about science. As you know, I hate reading even though I'm changing, so science, something mysterious, tends to be interesting most for me. This is not my first reading today; first is too short, so I thought it's more challenging to summarize another longer one. Then, I finally stopped at this news because it attracted me why bees can fly with its small wing compared to its body. Also, another reason is that it's related to the plane which I love. This article is similar to another one that's about how mosquitoes fly.
But what I read is something weird and abstruse, but not at all. I used to play flight simulator which gives me some knowledge(but not much because it's just a short period of time), so I know the word "stall" and can imagine that this condition is when the plane pitch its head more than the limit of that plane(each series of plane has different limit pitch, also depends on other factors) then that plane is going to fall down while its head is pointing up. However, even though it seemed to be clear in this article, what I'm confused at first is that it says "LEVs don’t actually give any extra lift at all" but also says "LEVs mean the wing can fly at a much higher angle of attack without stalling" which "higher angle of attack" makes more lift as I know. Therefore, this problem stuck me for a while when summarizing. So I kind of understand now that "LEVs" lead to "higher angle of attack" and that leads to more lift. Maybe that's why it says "LEVs don’t directly generate the lift"(hopefully readers would think the same as me). I would take this as "My question for readers", if possible. However, it's just my ridiculous; don't take it seriously.
After I read this and found many unknown phrases such as LEVs and tiny tornado-like airflows, I opened up google and search for "LEVs bees" and many others hoping to see in a video. Unfortunately, I found nothing answer these phrase. Then I thought it might be really new finding.
However, it's my new knowledge and I hope this would help a lot in our aviation technology.
_______________________________________
My question for readers
Have you ever wondered why bees could fly with their "tiny wing"? Do you know any other insect or living thing that has unbelievable behavior, such as this tiny-wing bee? What future technology using this flying pattern knowledge could you think of?
_______________________________________
- Revell T. (2017, July 25). Maths explains how bees can stay airborne with such tiny wings. New Scientist. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2141802-maths-explains-how-bees-can-stay-airborne-with-such-tiny-wings
It is very interesting information that these tiny wings can use to lift their body up to the air and stay in the same high. If we look at a commercial airplane, you will see that it needs very huge and wide wings to lift their body. However bees can use just a tiny wings to lift them up. Moreover, the information about leading edge vortices technique is new for me. I used to think that they just move their wings to fly. I don't know that they can create a tiny tornado-like airflows.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about the benefit of bee a lot, once I heard that bee is one of the beneficial in environmental cycle. Your information is quite new for me, I had never heard about how bee influence plane system before.
ReplyDeleteI could think of something that quite familiar with me, drone- an aircraft that does not have a pilot but is operated by radio. It is very popular nowaday to use a drone with the camera to take a picture from the air. It is also used a lot in movie-making. But It is not the point, the point is nowaday there has been developing in using drones as a transportation that can carry a person like a taxi, It like what we have seen from a sci-fi movie. It showed that it makes a huge development in human life. In the future, It could be a new kind of transportation.
The bees are really very amazing! So much fun to watch them when they fly. But for me it is even more interesting - how bees make honey. When I was little, I spent a lot of time in a small farme with my grandfather. He had a small apiary, where he bred bees. I watched them for a long time. Bees are highly organized insects: they live in large groups according to the rules, they have families, there is a leader in each family. And they are very hardworking. Small insects receive a large number of products together. And all that they do - is great benefit us. The nature around us is amazing, is not it?
ReplyDeleteAnd when I read your blogpost I also think about a hummingbird. I saw this bird only one time - on Koh Kood island, close to Cambodia. This bird are amazing! And they look like a bee, very-very small. I'm still very surprised how they fly.
I just wonder about the hummingbird you saw in Koh Kood island. Was it in a place like zoo or nature? I wonder because I think that there is no hummingbird in Thailand.
DeleteTo answer your question, I have never question how bees can fly because they are an insect and many other insects can fly too. What I wonder is how and why they build their 'house' in that specific shape. It is very amazing. When I was studying a bachelor degree in architecture, I had to make a condominium project. I chose to do it with the concept of honeycomb because its shape is very unique.
ReplyDeleteJust like Kate, a hummingbird came up in my mine when I read your blog. Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world, but what makes it amazing is this bird can fly backward!
I was used to wonder why tiny wings enable bee flying. Now, your blog post answered my wonder. Another creature that has incredible ability or behavior is lizard. I have heard that If lizard loses its tail, it can be generated the new one. I have never seen this before, but it is very amazing. I think insect is a very interesting creature. Its ability to fly is a prototype of human flying machine invention. In the long future, tiny wing might be developed in human which help people can fly.
ReplyDelete