Natures perfect headbangers and the Ig Nobel prize - Political Forum

Otter · 10-13-2006, 05:36 PM

OK, the Nobel prizes are being handed out, but so is a lesser know science prize- the IgNobels. The most recent goes to Ivan Schwab for his research (continuing work by Phillip May) on why woodpeckers don't get headaches.

Quote:

Ig Nobel prizes are given for "achievements that make people laugh, and then make them think".

Quote:

A pileated woodpecker may strike its beak against a tree 12,000 times a day for the purposes of feeding, nest construction, ritual drumming (to claim territory and attract mates), and even to relieve tension. They peck at rates of up to 20 times a second — each blow is comparable to striking a wall, face-first, at 25 kilometres an hour. This results in deceleration forces of about 1,200g, which is hundreds of times more than astronauts endure. Given the ill effects of headbanging seen in humans, May wondered why the countryside was not "littered with dazed and dying woodpeckers".

(here is the rest of the article)

It sounds like a silly question, but really it's the kind of thing that makes me sit up and marvel at the amazing results of natural selection. You never know what question will lead to an important discovery- it isn't a process that can be regulated.

Coyote Says · 10-15-2006, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

OK, the Nobel prizes are being handed out, but so is a lesser know science prize- the IgNobels. The most recent goes to Ivan Schwab for his research (continuing work by Phillip May) on why woodpeckers don't get headaches.

(here is the rest of the article)

It sounds like a silly question, but really it's the kind of thing that makes me sit up and marvel at the amazing results of natural selection. You never know what question will lead to an important discovery- it isn't a process that can be regulated.

I love the way you think, Otter.

At first I laughed, but then I did start to think. Why don't they get headaches? I wish I could read the rest of that article. I think it requires a subscription.

1200g's? Holy moly. That seems impossible to survive, let alone thrive. I wonder if they are better able to survive flying into picture windows? I suppose not, as it's probably the neck that gets broken. But I bet they have strong necks.

Otter · 10-15-2006, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coyote Says

I love the way you think, Otter.

At first I laughed, but then I did start to think. Why don't they get headaches? I wish I could read the rest of that article. I think it requires a subscription.

1200g's? Holy moly. That seems impossible to survive, let alone thrive. I wonder if they are better able to survive flying into picture windows? I suppose not, as it's probably the neck that gets broken. But I bet they have strong necks.

Damn, you're right. I could view it from campus, but not from home. I suppose I could post the whole thing on Monday. The gist of it was that it has to do with how snugly their brains fit into their little skulls, with very little cerebrospinal fluid, so they don't slosh back and forth like ours would, and how the skull is structured to absorb force.
They have really cool tounges, too, that coil up into their noses when they put them away, but that's a different topic, I guess.

Coyote Says · 10-15-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

Damn, you're right. I could view it from campus, but not from home. I suppose I could post the whole thing on Monday. The gist of it was that it has to do with how snugly their brains fit into their little skulls, with very little cerebrospinal fluid, so they don't slosh back and forth like ours would, and how the skull is structured to absorb force.
They have really cool tounges, too, that coil up into their noses when they put them away, but that's a different topic, I guess.

Kinda like when we dropped eggs in high school science class.

They put their tongues in their noses? How cool is that? I wonder what the advantage is?

Otter · 10-15-2006, 11:29 AM

Hey- Nature wants a subsciption to view their content, but BJO dosen't care, so you can read the article that won th eprize, just not Natures commentary on it:
Cure for a headache
Ivan R Schwab

Coyote Says · 10-15-2006, 11:59 AM

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The woodpecker has other unique adaptations that deserve recognition and may contribute to the protection from intracranial injuries. The tongue is most unusual as it originates on the dorsum of the maxilla, passes through the right nostril, between the eyes, divides into two, arches over the superior portion of the skull and around the occiput passing on either side of the neck, coming forward through the lower mandible, and uniting into a single tongue in the oropharyngeal cavity.
http://bjo.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/86/8/843

I'm having a hard time visualizing that. Probably because of my lack of knowledge about anatomy. I understand (I think) that it originates from what would be the roof of our mouths, but I kind of lose it from there. So their tongues split into two, wrap around their skulls and around the neck, and then combine into one again before protruding from the mouth? The advantage is more shock absorption, right?

Otter · 10-15-2006, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coyote Says

I'm having a hard time visualizing that. Probably because of my lack of knowledge about anatomy. I understand (I think) that it originates from what would be the roof of our mouths, but I kind of lose it from there. So their tongues split into two, wrap around their skulls and around the neck, and then combine into one again before protruding from the mouth? The advantage is more shock absorption, right?

I don't think the tongue thing has much to do with shock absorbtion- more just convenient storage. Their tounges are long, flexible, and barbed, so they can stick them into the holes they drill and fish out the bugs. It's hard to picture untill you see it.