BookGeorg Glaeser, Werner Nachtigall.
Summary: With spectacular large-format images complemented by scientifically grounded, yet easy-to-read, explanatory texts, Georg Glaeser and Werner Nachtigall take you on an exciting journey through the fascinating world of macrostructures - small structures in nature that fulfill specific functions. This book will pique your curiosity about a secret world known only to a few by presenting an impressive range of evolutionary mechanisms, from shrimps "tail flips" to the adhesive pads of gecko setae and the implementation of biological structures in the field of bionics. The book can be read in any fashion you please - the cross-references make it easy to jump across the sections, which are largely self-contained and discuss various highlights of the evolutionary process.
Contents:
Intro; Preface; Table of contents; 1. Shape, Movement, Lever; Morphological structures; Flexible shells and levers; Spiral twisting; Protected as a ball; Ants in interaction; Stiffening under internal pressure; Distending and extending apparatuses; Extendable stalks; Seeing in the macro world; Hydraulics in spider legs; Active and passive growth; Hinge joints and ball-and-socket joints; Leg-flexing; Kinematic chains; Sling jaw; Click mechanism and stings; The joint system of insect antennae; 2. Sticking, Filtering, Drilling; Adhesion apparatuses; Sticky spider webs; Sticky sundew droplets Coupling mechanisms; Predetermined breaking points; Digging shovels; "Sand shoes"; Brushes; Pollen-gathering with abdomen and legs; Pollen-gathering with pollen baskets; Dust filters and sealing strips; Traps and filters; Earth drillers; Mobile ovipositors and stings; 3. Gripping, Stretching, Folding; Gripping devices; Pincers; Injection syringes and cannulas; Apparatuses for gripping and scraping; Barb Systems; Springs and bolts; Stretching space; Membrane constructions; Folding mechanisms; 4. Signaling, Swimming, Flying, Exploding; Light organs and signal flags; Surface tension (1) Flutter stability and tensile strength6. Packaging, Primordia, Unfolding Mechanisms; Packaging; Casing of mericarp fruits and seeds; Casing (2); Unfolding mechanisms; Pre-fabricated structures; Pollination Mechanisms (1); Pollination Mechanisms (2); Environmental sensors; Antennae; Dragonflies
world champion maneuverers; 7. Brave New World; Lateral torsional buckling in Strelitzia blossoms; The anteater's claw; The pectoral fins of large rays; Fin edges and the kickback principle; Superhydrophobia ... ; ... and the Salvinia Paradox; Corrosion-resistant sandfish scales; The famous lotus effect Surface tension (2)Flow adaptation; The swiftest predators under water; Propulsion Apparatuses; Swimming with paddle fins; Parachutes and Gliders; Wing cascades and slats; Explosion mechanisms; Powder dispensers; Cocoons; Hanging by a thread; 5. Storage, Constructions, Building materials; Botanical traps for animals; Water reservoirs; Clay constructions; Protective shells; Chitin as a building material; Stockwork and frame construction; Bone constructions (1); Bone constructions (2); Lightweight constructions in the plant world; Above-ground constructions in the plant world The elephant's trunk ... and a cutting-edge technical gripper arm; Remarks on the pictures of the chapter headings; Select Bibliography; Index