Re:Functioning 'mechanical gears' seen in nature for the fir...
by conceit on Thursday September 24, 2015 @06:06AM
(#10270754)
> the legs always move within 30 'microseconds' of each other
> This is critical for the powerful jumps that are this insect's primary mode of transport
> even miniscule discrepancies in synchronisation between the velocities of its legs at the point of propulsion would result in "yaw rotation" - causing the Issus to spin hopelessly out of control.
> "This precise synchronisation would be impossible to achieve through a nervous system, as neural impulses would take far too long for the extraordinarily tight coordination required,"
> Interestingly, the mechanistic gears are only found in the insect's juvenile – or 'nymph' – stages, and are lost in the final transition to adulthood
So, how do the adults or other grasshoppers synchronize their jumps if the nervous system can't do it and cog-wheels aren't involved?
> This is critical for the powerful jumps that are this insect's primary mode of transport
> even miniscule discrepancies in synchronisation between the velocities of its legs at the point of propulsion would result in "yaw rotation" - causing the Issus to spin hopelessly out of control.
> "This precise synchronisation would be impossible to achieve through a nervous system, as neural impulses would take far too long for the extraordinarily tight coordination required,"
> Interestingly, the mechanistic gears are only found in the insect's juvenile – or 'nymph' – stages, and are lost in the final transition to adulthood
So, how do the adults or other grasshoppers synchronize their jumps if the nervous system can't do it and cog-wheels aren't involved?