...%. Jumping can potentially therefore enhance survival when threatened by a potential predator. mb135@hermes.cam.ac.uk COMPETING INTERESTS No competing interests declared. 4 12 2012 4 2 2013 © 2013. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd 2013 surface tension...

... of surface tension for spore ejection offers a new paradigm to perform work at small length scales. However, this mechanism of force generation remains poorly understood. To elucidate how fungal spores make effective use of surface tension, we performed a detailed mechanical analysis of the three stages...

... trapped within this lung structure substantially reduces water penetration, despite surface tension (capillary) processes. This same lung design also facilitates the shedding of the lung cuticle at each moult. * Present address: Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of Witwatersrand...

... force were shown to be improbable. An adhesive force resulting from surface tension at an air-fluid interface was shown to be adequate and likely. Evidence was collected that the working fluid of the adhesive organ has the properties of a dilute aqueous solution of a surfactant. There is a considerable...

... to be sufficient to form a layer at least 17·7xl0 -9 m in thickness over the area of pulvillar contact. This is consistent with the view that surface tension forces would adequately account for adhesion, an additional limiting factor being the physical properties (wettability) of the substratum. Viscous forces...