Archives: Feathers

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Peacock Day

Saturday, March 25 was Peacock Day at the Los Angeles Arboretum. I was looking forward to giving a talk at this event for months because it was a chance to return to my stomping grounds at the best time of year. The event had guided peacock walks, peacock-themed art activities, sitar music, and an Indian... More

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Bird-inspired drones

This Christmas the strong winds decorated the trees with shiny new drones: (photo by Rod Croskery) Drones of the future are going to get a lot more maneuverable. A group at Imperial College London has now built an aquatic diving drone with wings that can tuck in for protection during rapid plunges, inspired by the... More

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Peacock physics

We have a new paper out! Biomechanics of the peacock’s display: how feather structure and resonance influence multimodal signaling In this study we describe the rapid feather vibrations that peacocks use during courtship. These vibrations – at a rate of about 26 Hz on average – represent a substantial mechanical and metabolic challenge for... More

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Species of serendipity

Like most ideas, this one arrived in the shower. I needed to write a post for this week, but my list of topics was wearing thin and the weather is finally starting to get nice enough to distract me. Sure, I had a few promising ideas lined up, but they all need more time... More

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