Flying Snake Mysteries Revealed 78
Rambo Tribble writes "Researchers from Virginia Tech are reporting they have uncovered the secrets behind the genus Chrysopelea's aerodynamic feats . These ophidians are capable of gliding some distance while appearing to slither through the air. The BBC's article on the revelations hosts a short video of the phenomenon. At the heart of Chrysopelea's feat is a remarkable ability of the snakes to alter their body's cross-section. Finally, snakes that don't need to be on no stinking plane." The paper [PDF] has some more cool pictures, too.
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You're a few years late. Let me handle that one for you:
SNAKENADO!!!!!!!!!
Re:I have HAD it... TOO (Score:2)
I learned about how the snakes create an aerodynamic profile of their bodies over 10 years ago.
Nothing new here folks. Move along now.
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I even saw a video about it. And 10 years is a minimum figure... I really think it's closer to 20, but I don't remember for sure.
I quite literally see nothing new here. It's like the researchers did not even look at prior research before deciding to study this.
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I know what you mean in the sense that /. articles are often "olds" instead of news
However for me there are two other considerations;
It may be news to me -- and possibly others -- as is the case with this article
More importantly I usually get more insights on the topic from the discussion it generates than from the article itself
Anyway, thanks for pointing out this is actually "olds" -- good to know!
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These things come in cycles, when a new generation is ready to be introduced to a whole new breed of nightmares.
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The fact that they didn't do their homework is not an excuse to call this "new research". It's re-inventing the wheel, which helps nobody.
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"... the goes on to back up the significance of those changes with fluid dynamics modeling, which it only cites one previous paper for."
The fluid dynamics is all fine. BUT... look at the titles of both OP and the research paper:
"Flying Snake Mysteries Revealed"
(There is no mystery. It was already known that the snake flattens its cross-section to an aerodynamic shape.)
"... how a bluff body cross-sectional shape contributes to gliding performance"
The (known) cross-section is an obvious airfoil-shape. We know basically "how" the cross-section leads to gliding performance. It may be that some actual fluid dynamics analysis has led to some better understanding of the details, but the title gives the impression that the basic aerodynamics were not already
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"Seems to contradict "The actual research may be new,"..."
Repeat: the title of both the paper and OP's article give the impression that this is not new research, and that the basics of the snake's aerodynamic profile were not already know.
But then, you knew I wrote that already, and were looking for something to argue with me about.
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"Not the same AC, and I can't say if he has a grudge or not. But it looks like either you're either grabbing at straws or seeing something that is not there to try to blame the original authors for the typical usual bad science reporting crap."
I am blaming them for a slightly misleading title. Nothing more.
Okay, I was wrong that this wasn't original research. BUT my basic point still holds: the title of both OP and the paper strongly suggest that it's NOT original research. And yes, that's their fault.
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hmm, no.
A photograph is an out of context snapshot of time. They need context for accuracy.
Written descriptions can be far more efficient at communicating information.
Better yet, use both.
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hmm, no.
A photograph is an out of context snapshot of time. They need context for accuracy.
Written descriptions can be far more efficient at communicating information.
Better yet, use both.
Yes, of course nobody is saying you should abandon text. While we're being picky, GP didn't say what he meant by efficient. Efficient use of the producer's time? Efficient use of the consumer's time? Efficient use of page space? bandwidth?
A good photograph, chart, or video can accomplish in seconds what it would take hours of puzzling over a few pages of text to understand.
Re:Paper has some cool pictures? (Score:5, Funny)
Like it or not, pictures are still a more efficient way of communicating data than text. By an order of magnitude.
You've lost me on that...can you show me a graph?
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Sorry, only have spark lines.
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sure! how bout a bar graph...
Efficiency of Medium
text ##################
pics ########
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That looks like a factor of two, not an order of magnitude. Maybe you should spell it out next time...
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It was just a joke. Why so nasty?...does somebody need to take his widdle nap?...
Re:Paper has some cool pictures? (Score:5, Insightful)
What has /. turned into? Discovery Kids?
All geeks are kids at heart.
Where once we openly drooled at the view through the candy store window, we now drool at the view through the gadget store window (or web site).
We also still like to see what makes things tick.
Forget pictures, here's a video (Score:3)
Yeah, who wants pictures? Here's a video of the snake in action: http://www.nbcnews.com/science... [nbcnews.com]
It's really uncanny to see it suddenly going from a free fall into a glide that looks to be on par with what we'd expect from a paper airplane. And later in the video they show it actually pulling off a turn as well, which is even more insane to consider. Jumping from a tree in the forest, I could easily see this thing traveling quite a way.
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Yeah, who wants pictures? Here's a video of the snake in action: http://www.nbcnews.com/science... [nbcnews.com]
It's really uncanny to see it suddenly going from a free fall into a glide that looks to be on par with what we'd expect from a paper airplane. And later in the video they show it actually pulling off a turn as well, which is even more insane to consider. Jumping from a tree in the forest, I could easily see this thing traveling quite a way.
Radical. Who would think such motor technique could be harnessed by that brain? I wonder if they hunt while on the fly, too.
Our snake fly... (Score:2)
When seized by hawks or other raptors and a clumsily dropped, one may find a totally pissed off rattlesnake landing on their hat or shoulder.
Not quite the old Death From Above maneouver, but it'll do until we're piloting 'Mechs around.
Correction (Score:1)
The PDF contains one tiny, worthless picture of the snake.
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Sorry about that (Score:2)
Herodotus' History (Score:5, Informative)
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Herodotus in his History mentioned flying snakes in Arabia/Egypt. Many considered it one of the more fanciful tales in that work.
Well if he saw them, at lead it was a step better than his "Water Horses"
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I wonder if those were water buffalo?
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Neither, it was a "hydraulic ram".
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No, hippopotamuses.
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Hippopotamus itself is Greek for "river horse".
A bigger mystery (Score:2)
I wonder how that one evolved. A billion snakes leapt to their death until ... ?
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Isn't it more likely that there were a couple thousand years of hopping snakes and then leaping snakes? Much like the original base jumpers started by jumping off roofs into pools.
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Snakes facing a predator leaping from certain death to probable death. Snakes with the right adaptations were a bit less likely to die from the leap.
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Snakes climb trees, and jump (okay, slither) out of trees, all the time. The best eggs are up there, and an occasional bite that tastes like chicken.
Point being, that this one doesn't require lots of snakes to die; it's a normal progression.
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The problem with that "normal progression" is that it requires significant structural changes to happen before it will be useful. I'm not sure that I see any incremental advantage accruing.
Re:Flying Snake Experts? (Score:4, Funny)
As God is my witness, I thought those things could fly.
This sentence no verb (Score:1)
"Finally, snakes that don't need to be on no stinking plane..." ... ... ... ???
Agreed, and this sentence no verb either.
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Since when is "to be" not considered a verb?
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Actually the verb of that sentence is "need".
The subjects are the snakes. And they don't need.
What don't they need ? "to be on the plane".
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No, that's a relative clause [wikipedia.org], not a full sentence. "that don't need to be on the plane" serves only as an adjective for "snakes".
The independent sentence, without the relative clause, is "Finally, snakes." The primary verb is implied: "Finally, [there are] snakes." Or maybe "Finally, [we have] snakes." Or something similar.
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Excellent, can you get to work on See Spot Run now?
http://www.straightdope.com/co... [straightdope.com]
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No, that's a relative clause [wikipedia.org], not a full sentence. "that don't need to be on the plane" serves only as an adjective for "snakes".
The independent sentence, without the relative clause, is "Finally, snakes." The primary verb is implied: "Finally, [there are] snakes." Or maybe "Finally, [we have] snakes." Or something similar.
I saw what you did there.
The only mystery about the flying snake is (Score:2)
why haven't we killed them all yet?
CAH (Score:2)
This story is only one word away from being a Cards Against Humanity favorite.
Misleading title (Score:2)
Without that information, I doubt we've revealed the real mysteries.
Re:Misleading title (Score:4, Interesting)
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It's only more efficient for low speed and weight. Aircraft are still better off with current designs.
Comment removed (Score:3)
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I remember hearing this same story (regarding flattening of the body) already in the 90s.
The only thing that I can see is novel is that they measured the aerodynamic properties of the airfoil shape and came up with hard numbers for how good it is.
But being the pussies they are, the VT people didn't measure this on actual snakes in flight, and only tested a model!
Flying snakes? (Score:2)
At least they're not (very) venomous. (Score:2)
Flying (gliding) snakes are cool (Score:2)