The Weird Science That Lets Insects Fly in the Rain

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Published on February 21, 2025 8:38:36 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfbY_lYf0Yk

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Imagine the scale of raindrops if you were the size of a small bird. Or mosquito. Flying through a drizzle should be deadly! Like flying through falling cars and boulders. And yet it’s not, because nature has given them a superpower—superhydrophobic surfaces that repel water and keep them airborne. How do these microscopic structures work? And how has modern engineering been inspired by them?

References: https://sites.google.com/view/superhydrophobic-references/home

Mosquito vs. Raindrop footage courtesy of David Hu and Andrew Dickerson

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