The energy-efficient ways that jellyfish move around prompted Caltech scientists to create new ocean vessel propulsion systems and heart disease detection tools.
They studied how jellyfish moved through the water efficiently, and they found similarities between the way they moved and the dynamics of blood flow in the human heart, according to Interesting Engineering.
Through increased identification and comprehension of heart illness, this could aid in the development of diagnostic systems.
Dabiri attempted to equip jellyfish with electronics in an attempt to transform them into deep-sea scientists. For at least a few days, they allow the jellyfish to swim since they are only slightly heavier. These jellyfish were first arranged in an apparatus that was six feet high for the experiment, and they were subsequently moved to a larger, twenty feet tall container with regulated water flow.
“We found a space in the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory building that looks like an elevator shaft where they forgot to put in the elevator,” stated Dabiri.
“The idea became this big, 40,000-pound structure that would sit suspended over a region where the researchers can go underneath to gather specific measurements,” he added.
Jellyfish housed in a 3,600-gallon tank also contained two motors to control water flow that stimulated ocean conditions, mainly the upwelling and downwelling flow.
“I remember when we first filled up the tank, there actually was a moment when we started to hear these cracking sounds,” Dabiri added.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
