| Title |
Oscillation of the velvet worm slime jet by passive hydrodynamic instability
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Nature Communications, March 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1038/ncomms7292 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Andrés Concha, Paula Mellado, Bernal Morera-Brenes, Cristiano Sampaio Costa, L Mahadevan, Julián Monge-Nájera |
| Abstract |
The rapid squirt of a proteinaceous slime jet endows velvet worms (Onychophora) with a unique mechanism for defence from predators and for capturing prey by entangling them in a disordered web that immobilizes their target. However, to date, neither qualitative nor quantitative descriptions have been provided for this unique adaptation. Here we investigate the fast oscillatory motion of the oral papillae and the exiting liquid jet that oscillates with frequencies f~30-60 Hz. Using anatomical images, high-speed videography, theoretical analysis and a physical simulacrum, we show that this fast oscillatory motion is the result of an elastohydrodynamic instability driven by the interplay between the elasticity of oral papillae and the fast unsteady flow during squirting. Our results demonstrate how passive strategies can be cleverly harnessed by organisms, while suggesting future oscillating microfluidic devices, as well as novel ways for micro and nanofibre production using bioinspired strategies. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 25 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 5 | 20% |
| Japan | 5 | 20% |
| Mexico | 1 | 4% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 4% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 4% |
| Morocco | 1 | 4% |
| Canada | 1 | 4% |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 4% |
| Netherlands | 1 | 4% |
| Other | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown | 7 | 28% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 21 | 84% |
| Scientists | 3 | 12% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 74 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 3% |
| Taiwan | 1 | 1% |
| Brazil | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 70 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 13 | 18% |
| Student > Bachelor | 13 | 18% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 9 | 12% |
| Researcher | 7 | 9% |
| Professor | 5 | 7% |
| Other | 9 | 12% |
| Unknown | 18 | 24% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 16 | 22% |
| Engineering | 10 | 14% |
| Physics and Astronomy | 7 | 9% |
| Chemical Engineering | 4 | 5% |
| Materials Science | 4 | 5% |
| Other | 12 | 16% |
| Unknown | 21 | 28% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 220. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 03 August 2023.
All research outputs
#172,814
of 25,262,379 outputs
Outputs from Nature Communications
#2,434
of 55,964 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#1,975
of 293,778 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Nature Communications
#21
of 762 outputs
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