News tagged with flapping flight

In search of the original flapper... new theory on evolution of flight

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Manchester scientist has put forward a controversial new way of tackling a typically Darwinian chicken and egg question - the evolution of flapping flight in birds.

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 2




Search results for flapping flight


Hovering not hard if you're top-heavy, researchers find

Top-heavy structures are more likely to maintain their balance while hovering in the air than are those that bear a lower center of gravity, researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences ...

Physics / General Physics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Studying butterfly flight to help build bug-size flying robots

To improve the next generation of insect-size flying machines, Johns Hopkins engineers have been aiming high-speed video cameras at some of the prettiest bugs on the planet. By figuring out how butterflies ...

Electronics / Robotics

created Feb 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx dressed for flight

Since its discovery 150 years ago, scientists have puzzled over whether the winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx represents the missing link in birds' evolution to powered flight. Much of the debate has focused on the ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Vega to fly ESA experimental reentry vehicle

(PhysOrg.com) -- The launch of ESA’s IXV Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle on Europe’s new Vega rocket is now in detailed planning, a major step towards the craft’s flight in 2014.

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Dinosaurs with killer claws yield new theory about flight

(PhysOrg.com) -- New research from Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies has revealed how dinosaurs like Velociraptor and Deinonychus used their famous killer claws, leading to a new hypothesis on ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Dec 14, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (11) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Study finds pigeons use bodies to turn rather than wing force

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a rather surprising turn of events, it appears pigeons use their body to make sharp turns, rather than stronger wing strokes when flying. This bit of news comes from Ivo Ros of Harvard ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 29, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 14 | with audio podcast report

How the fly flies: Scientists discover gene switch responsible for flight muscle formation

Flies are real flight artists, although they only have small wings compared to their body size. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, recently identified ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Nov 17, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Secrets of flocking revealed

Watching thousands of birds fly in a highly coordinated, yet leaderless, flock can be utterly baffling to humans. Now, new research is peeling back the layers of mystery to show how exactly they do it -- and ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 26, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Robotic bug gets wings, sheds light on evolution of flight (w/ video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- A six-legged, 25 gram robot has been fitted with flapping wings in order to gain an insight into the evolution of early birds and insects.

Electronics / Robotics

created Oct 17, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Dragonflies: The flying aces of the insect world

Next time you see a dragonfly, try to watch it catch its next meal on the go. Good luck!

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 04, 2011 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast


List of search results for flapping flight