At storytime, the children usually ask the questions. After reading a book about flying fish to his kids, though, Haecheon Choi, a mechanical engineer at Korea’s Seoul National University, was the inquisitive one.
Choi was intrigued by the gliding ability of these aquatic creatures whose versatile fins are also used as wings for out of water travel. Flying fish can remain airborne for 40 seconds at a time, covering distances up to 400 meters at speeds nearing 70 km/h. With the help of a colleague, Choi set out to test such impressive in-flight aerodynamics. Choi caught, dried, and stuffed five flying fish, which he then fitted with sensors. Choi launched the fish through a wind tunnel to simulate flight, and measured the resulting forces on the fish’s fins and bodies. As published Friday in The Journal of Experimental Biology, Choi found that the fins accelerate the airflow towards the fish’s tail, much like a jet. The resulting glide is greater than that of insects and comparable to certain birds. For the aptly named flying fish, being a fish out of water apparently isn’t so debilitating after all. Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-09/tcob-ffg090210.php
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As a low-fat source of protein, tofu in your diet may cut the risk of heart disease. Now, tofu protein in your wood flooring may actually help cut the risk of cancer.
A soy protein found in tofu is now being tested as an alternative to petroleum in adhesives used for composite wood furniture, cabinets, and flooring. Wood composites—a blend of wood particles and glue—have become the standard for interior wood products over the last century. Most adhesives are petroleum-based. But with the rising cost of petroleum and the increasing scrutiny about its negative effects on human health and the environment, though, the stage may be set for alternatives. Protein-based adhesives currently comprise less than five percent of the wood composite market, according to Charles Frihart, a research chemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Products Laboratory. He predicts an increase in soy-based adhesives in the future. “Several technologies and environmental factors,” Frihart explains, “have led to a resurgence of protein, especially soy flour, as an important adhesive for interior plywood and wood flooring.” Scientists have developed a variety of soy polymer glues that now perform as well as their petroleum-based counterparts in high temperature and water exposure tests but lack the carcinogenic formaldehyde vapors. Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/acs-tiy080910.php |
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