Step aside, Simone Biles. Meet nature’s champion of backflips – a tiny arthropod no bigger than the tip of a pencil.
Biologist Adrian Smith from North Carolina State University in Raleigh describes the globular springtail as the fastest backflipper on Earth. These tiny creatures, found in Smith’s own backyard, possess extraordinary agility and speed, making them masters of escape from predators.
Smith, along with biomechanist Jacob Harrison from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, studied high-speed footage of these springtails to uncover the secrets behind their lightning-fast acrobatics.
2024-08-29 08:00:00
Source: www.sciencenews.org