科学美国人60秒 SSS Future Wet Suits Otter Be Warmer
时间：2019-01-17 作者：英语课 分类：2016年Scientific American(十)月
Whales, seals and walruses 1 stay warm in chilly 2 water because they have a thick layer of blubber. We humans rely on something like blubber—neoprene rubber wet suits—to spend time in cold water. But the thick versions for really icy water are heavy and ungainly. So rather than taking after big marine 3 mammals, what if we could learn from the littler ones, like beavers 4 and otters 5?
“These animals are quite small and they can't carry around a thick layer of blubber. So instead they have fur that is evolved to trap air, and this air provides a layer of insulation 6 for them in water.”
Alice Nasto is a graduate student in mechanical engineering at MIT. Scientists have known about this air-trapping insulation mechanism 7 for a long time, but they had not teased out the details of how it works. So Nasto and her colleagues took on the challenge.
“We're creating these furry 8 samples from these rubbery materials by laser cutting molds and casting these hairy surfaces. And through our approach we can precisely 9 control the spacing of the hairs [and] the length of the hairs.”
The researchers then created a system to gather data when their pelts 10 entered and moved through a liquid—in this case not water, but silicone oil, which makes it easier to see air bubbles. The key is to keep the pelt’s air layer intact.
“So when they're crossing the air water interface 11, initially 12 their hairy texture 13 is full of air. And then you go into water. How much of the air comes down with you as you're moving in through the interface. So that's what this model will tell you.”
They found that the denser 14 the hairs, the more the air gets trapped. Which should keep the animal—or potentially the human in a future furry wet suit—warm. The research is in the journal Physical Review Fluids. [Alice Nasto et al., Air entrainment in hairy surfaces]
“What we would like to work on moving forward is understanding how, after you dive into the water, how do you maintain this air layer trapped in your fur. And there's lots of interesting properties of the fur in nature that we haven't yet looked at in our model that could help explain how this mechanism might work.”
So for now, cold-water divers 15 and surfers will still emulate 16 seals or sea lions. But the day may come when they’ll more closely resemble otters or beavers. Or even a Wookiee on a boogie board.
—Cynthia Graber
- Walruses have enormous appetites and hunt for food almost constantly. 海象食欲极大，几乎一直在猎取食物。 来自互联网
- Two Atlantic walruses snuggle on an ice floe near Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada. 加拿大努勒维特伊格卢利克附近，两头大西洋海象在浮冰上相互偎依。 来自互联网
- I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
- I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。
- Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
- When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
- In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。
- Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do men. 海狸是这样做的，蜜蜂是这样做的，人也是这样做的。
- An attempt is being made to entice otters back to the river. 人们正试图把水獭引诱回河里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Otters are believed to have been on Earth for 90 million years. 水獭被认为存活在地球上已经9千多万年。 来自互联网
- Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
- It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。
- The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
- The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
- This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
- Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。
- It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
- The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
- My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
- This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了，适用范围广。
- The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
- Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。
- We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
- Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。
- The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
- As Tito entered the neighbourhood of San Martino, he found the throng rather denser. 蒂托走近圣马丁教堂附近一带时，发现人群相当密集。
- He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
- Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。