Researchers have validated through wind tunnel tests that tumbleweed-inspired rovers could operate on Mars, propelled by the planet's high winds, potentially covering vast distances and collecting environmental data, offering a low-cost and wide-reaching method for planetary exploration.
A car-sized tumbleweed was captured on video as it rolled down a California highway, gaining attention and comparisons to a giant hairball. Tumbleweeds, which are not a specific species but a group of noxious weeds, have a tendency to break off at the root and spread their seeds. The Russian thistle is one of the most common and problematic tumbleweeds, having plagued dry, arid lands since the 1870s. Tumbleweed incidents, such as the "Tumblegeddon" in Washington state and the invasion of homes in Victorville, California, have occurred in the past. Experts predict more tumbleweed tumult in the future, with a new species of gigantic tumbleweeds likely to expand their territory due to climate change.