High-speed 'mechanical gears' discovered for the 1st time on an insect's hind legs.

[snagglepuss]

snip

Issus bug has curved cog-like strips of teeth on each hind leg

These cogs can interlock and rotate like mechanical gears to help it jump

This is the first time that mechanical gears similar have been found in nature

snip


Each gear tooth on the insect’s legs has a rounded corner at the point it connects with the other gears to stop teeth from shearing off when they clash, similar to gears on a bike.






Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2418912/Baby-Issus-bug-discovered-high-speed-mechanical-gears-legs.html#ixzz2ei5s8Dbd
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[exboyfil]

1. A replacement for the flagellum

for the intelligent design folks.

[Scuba]

2. Cool. Thanks snagglepuss.

[Jim__]

3. ‘This precise synchronisation would be impossible to achieve through a nervous system ...'

I'm not clear on exactly what the article is claiming:

This is critical for powerful jumps as even a tiny discrepancy in the timing between the legs would see, the little Issus spin out of control.

The legs always move within 30 microseconds of each other, with one microsecond equal to a millionth of a second.

‘This precise synchronisation would be impossible to achieve through a nervous system, as neural impulses would take far too long for the extraordinarily tight coordination required,’ said lead author Professor Malcolm Burrows.

...

The mechanical gears are only found in the juvenile insect, and are lost when the bug grows into its adult phase.

So, does the adult continue to make these powerful jumps? Is the adult nervous system sufficient for these jumps because its nervous system becomes attuned over time? Or because its muscles are disproportionately bigger with respect to its body? Or ...