The lotus's clever way of staying dry
Monday, October 26, 2009 - 11:42
in Biology & Nature
An ancient Confucian philosopher once said, 'I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.' Now, almost one thousand years since Zhou Dunyi wrote these lines in China, scientists finally understand how the plant keeps itself clean and dry. It took an ultra high speed camera, a powerful microscope and an audio speaker to unlock a secret that has puzzled scientists for ages...