JACOBS UNIVERSITY BREMEN
IUB biology professor Benno Meyer-Rochow awarded for uncovering penguin defecation dynamics |
The 2005 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded on Thursday evening,
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Oct
10, 2005]
The two biologists found that adult penguins generate a pressure up to 60 kPa (450 mm Hg) to expel their faeces, which equals about twice the pressure of an ordinary car tire and is considerably higher than that of other birds. The three constants to estimate defecation pressure, distance the faecal material travels before it hits the ground, density and viscosity of the material, and shape, aperture, and height above the ground of the orificium venti, are based on observations made during an Antarctic expedition in 1993 led by the Bremen scientist Meyer-Rochow. Main source of information were photos taken from “decorated” nests and penguins “in action”, which allowed the measurement of the relevant parameters. The forces involved, lying well above those known for humans, are high, but do not lead to an energetically wasteful turbulent flow. Whether a bird chooses the direction into which it decides to expel its faeces, and what role the wind plays in this, remain unknown. Particulars on methods and results are published in Polar Biology (2003) 27: 56–58.
Jacobs University Bremen
Author: coco. Last updated on 15.04.2008. © 2008 Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen. All rights reserved. No unauthorized reproduction. http://www.jacobs-university.de. For all general inquiries, please call the university at +49 421 200-40 or mail to info@jacobs-university.de.
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