Saving energy? We’re talkin’ Little Shop of Horrors!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Consider the carnivorous pitcher plant. It’s a trash bag shaped plant that eats bugs to overcome nutrient deficient soil.
That gave Anne-Kristin Lenz and the University of Bristol an idea for renewable energy collection.
They looked at how these plants trap prey. They have a retractable lid, like a motion sensing trash can! But how’s it work?
The team scanned and modeled the plants. Turns out, they use geometry! When rain hits the lid, a spring mechanism in the stem activates. This closes the lid, energy free!
The researchers hope we can use similar mechanisms to develop better energy-harvesting devices.
In short, when it comes to Mother Nature’s clever inventions, they Suddenly Seymour! Feed me!
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