wings – Alaska Native News

Dragons of Summer Now on the Hunt

By Ned Rozell | Geophysical Institute on Jul 19, 2019 Featured, The Arctic and Alaska Science

Image: A sedge darner dragonfly rests on a leaf. The dragonfly’s compound eyes are each made up of thousands of light- and motion-sensitive units. Photo-Ned Rozell The Piper Super Cub is a nimble favorite of Alaska bush pilots who land on and take off from gravel bars and mountaintops. Engineers who designed the plane […]

New research suggests insect wings might serve gyroscopic function

By Deborah Bach | University of Washington on Mar 20, 2015 Science/Education

Gyroscopes measure rotation in everyday technologies, from unmanned aerial vehicles to cell phone screen stabilizers. Though many animals can move with more precision and accuracy than our best-engineered aircraft and technologies, gyroscopes are rarely found in nature. Scientists know of just one group of insects, the group including flies, that has something that behaves like […]