As a ladybug fan, this little news tidbit was interesting to me! Nah, it couldn’t be God, right?
Ladybug wings a marvel of engineering, design
A team of Japanese researchers has solved a puzzle surrounding ladybug wings that has stymied scientific engineers for years.
Until now, researchers have been unable to observe the wing-folding process of the ladybug. The versatile little insect can unfold its wings in one-tenth of a second and take flight for up to two hours, reaching speeds of 37 miles per hour and achieving heights over 3,500 feet. But due to hardened forewings, called elytra, that close first and hide the process, scientists have, until now, been unable to see how their wings can be sturdy and rigid enough for such feats and yet can have the elasticity and flexibility to easily fold and tuck as they transition from flying to walking.
For this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo developed a way to remove the forewing and transplant a functional, transparent, artificial elytron that allowed them to observe the entire process. They were astounded to find that ladybugs fold their wings into a complex origami-type shape.
The researchers wrote that the “innovative designing method” could be useful for everything from satellite antennae and medical instruments to umbrellas and fans. “The ladybugs’ technique for achieving complex folding is quite fascinating and novel, particularly for researchers in the fields of robotics, mechanics, aerospace and mechanical engineering,” said Kazuya Saito, the lead researcher.
Yet, no surprise, the secular researchers said they did not see evidence of intelligent design in the ladybug wings, but called them a “naturally evolved optimization system.” —J.B. (From WORLD.wng.org news site) June 8,2017
