"Desert bird's feathers inspire efficient water bottle design"
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and MIT have studied the microstructure of the belly feathers of African sandgrouse, which can hold about 15% of their body weight in water and keep most of it safe during a roughly 40 mph flight home that takes about a half hour. The researchers believe that the findings could lead to new bio-inspired creations, including a more efficient water bottle design. The sandgrouse's specially adapted belly feathers hold water through a forest of barbules near the shaft, working together with the curled barbules near the tip, acting almost like caps.