Goto

Collaborating Authors

 bird and bat


Breakthrough discovery finds baby pterodactyls could fly from birth

Daily Mail - Science & tech

A breakthrough discovery shows that pterodactyls could fly from birth, something no other species before or since has been able to do. And British scientists said that the revelation has a'profound impact' on our understanding of the reptiles. The common belief was the pterodactyls, like birds and bats, only took to the air once they were fully grown. A new study shows pterodactyls could fly from birth, something no other species before or since can do. The findings have a'profound impact' on our understanding of reptiles Pterodactyls used both their arms and legs to push themselves off the ground during take-off, in a manoeuvre known as the'quadrupedal launch'. They were almost as tall as a giraffe with wing spans of around 32ft (10 metres).


Tiny claws let drones perch like birds and bats

#artificialintelligence

Drones are useful in countless ways, but that usefulness is often limited by the time they can stay in the air. Shouldn't drones be able to take a load off too? With these special claws attached, they can perch or hang with ease, conserving battery power and vastly extending their flight time. The claws, created by a highly multinational team of researchers I'll list at the end, are inspired by birds and bats. The team noted that many flying animals have specially adapted feet or claws suited to attaching the creature to its favored surface.

  Country: Asia > China > Hong Kong (0.08)
  Industry: Aerospace & Defense (0.33)

Night vision could protect birds and bats from wind farms

Daily Mail - Science & tech

The same technology that lets soldiers see in the dark can also help protect birds and bats near offshore wind turbines. Night vision goggles use thermal imaging, which captures infrared light that's invisible to the human eye, and now, researchers are using thermal imaging to help birds and bats near offshore wind farms. The thermal tracking software automatically detects birds and bats, which is useful for night tracking they're hard to spot - and it could help inform policymakers about where new and existing offshore wind turbines should be placed. The thermal tracking software automatically detects birds and bats, which is useful for tracking them at night when they're hard to spot . The thermal imaging software, developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), is called ThermalTracker.