How spring-loaded filaree seeds self launch

Even by invading plants' standards, the filaree, or common stork's bill, has been remarkably successful. Introduced into North America in the eighteenth century, it is now endemic in south-western states such as California, and the plant's intriguing seed dispersal mechanism seems to lie at the root of their success. Having launched as far as possible from the mother plant, the seed drills itself into the ground by repeatedly curling and unwinding a strap-like structure, known as an awn, to give it the best chance to germinate. But how do they self-drill?...

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