Rotating locomotion in living systems includes both the rolling of entire organisms, and the use of structures that propel by rotating relative to a fixed body, such as a wheel or propeller. Though the former mode is used by varied forms of life, including pangolins and tumbleweeds, the latter is only known to occur in bacteria using microscopic, corkscrew-like flagella. While other human technologies, like wings and lenses, have common natural analogues, multicellular organisms have apparently never evolved rotating propulsive structures. Such structures may be infeasible to grow and maintain with biological processes. Compared with walking or running on limbs, in natural environments, wheeled propulsion is rarely as energy-efficient, versatile, or capable of navigating obstacles. This is likely why at least one historical civilization abandoned wheels. Rolling and wheeled creatures have appeared in speculative fiction and the legends of many cultures.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_locomotion_in_living_systems> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1779: American Revolutionary War: Captain William Pickles of the Continental Navy boarded and captured the British sloop HMS West Florida at the Battle of Lake Pontchartrain. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lake_Pontchartrain> 1945: Mike the Headless Chicken was decapitated on a farm in Colorado; he survived another 18 months as part of sideshows before choking to death. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken> 1974: After centuries of Portuguese rule, the country of Guinea- Bissau was formally recognized as independent. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea-Bissau> 1983: Typhoon Ellen dissipated after destroying hundreds of homes across Hong Kong and the Philippines. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ellen_%281983%29> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: storge: Natural affection or love, especially of parents for their children. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/storge> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: History, as well as life itself, is complicated; neither life nor history is an enterprise for those who seek simplicity and consistency. --Jared Diamond <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jared_Diamond> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe write to: [email protected] Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
