WEBVTT - How Can Owls Fly So Quietly?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum. Here a few creatures are surrounded by as

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<v Speaker 1>much myth and mystery as the owl. Sometimes they're marked

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<v Speaker 1>as ominous, portance of death and hardship, sometimes symbols of

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<v Speaker 1>wisdom and prudence. From ancient texts to modern fantasy movies,

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<v Speaker 1>owls have captivated us with their fierce hunting capabilities, striking appearance,

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<v Speaker 1>nocturnal habits, and near silent power of flight across the globe.

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<v Speaker 1>Legends developed around them. Some Hindu cultures associate the owl

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<v Speaker 1>with the goddess Lakshmi and consider it a symbol of

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<v Speaker 1>luck and prosperity. The Greek goddess of wisdom Athena, offered

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<v Speaker 1>special protection to the owl as her favorite feathered friend.

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<v Speaker 1>As a result, many owls lived the acropolis. The stealthy

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<v Speaker 1>owl was also seen as protector of Greek armies. Owl

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<v Speaker 1>imagery often decorated warrior's shields, and some said that seeing

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<v Speaker 1>an owl before a battle signaled a triumph to come.

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<v Speaker 1>The Dakota Hidatsa have also viewed the owl as protectors

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<v Speaker 1>to warriors, but others saw owls as predictors of death.

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<v Speaker 1>But lore has it that the hoot of an owl

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<v Speaker 1>announced the death of Julius Caesar, and several Southwestern American

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<v Speaker 1>native cultures associate owls with ill omens and their calls

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<v Speaker 1>with impending death. Today, let's look at one of the

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<v Speaker 1>factors that makes owls so interesting their silent flight. While

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<v Speaker 1>it adds to owl's mystique, this superpower of sorts serves

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<v Speaker 1>a very practical purpose. It helps them sneak up on

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<v Speaker 1>their prey. It's the design of owl's wings and feathers

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<v Speaker 1>that allows them to fly in almost absolute silence. The

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<v Speaker 1>two things that cause the most noise when birds fly

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<v Speaker 1>are the flapping of their wings and the noise of

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<v Speaker 1>turbulence as they move through the air. That is the

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<v Speaker 1>sound of air flowing chaoo over and around their wings.

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<v Speaker 1>Owls have broad wings with large surface areas that help

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<v Speaker 1>them glide through the air without flapping very much. Less

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<v Speaker 1>flapping makes less noise, and the owl's feathers work to

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<v Speaker 1>reduce turbulence. An owl's primary feathers, which are the long

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<v Speaker 1>ones forming the tip of the wing, are serrated like

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<v Speaker 1>a comb on their leading edge that's the edge facing

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<v Speaker 1>forward as they fly. This comb like design breaks down

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<v Speaker 1>turbulence into smaller currents called microturbulences. Then, the opposite trailing

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<v Speaker 1>edge of each primary feather has a tattered fringe shape

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<v Speaker 1>that muffles the sound of air flowing over the wing

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<v Speaker 1>and shifts the angle at which the air flows. These

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<v Speaker 1>soft feathers allow air to pass through, which helps eliminate noise.

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<v Speaker 1>Some reachers think that as the owl flies, these feathers

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<v Speaker 1>may also shift sound waves created by the owl's wing

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<v Speaker 1>to a higher frequency that prey can't hear. The owl's

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<v Speaker 1>secondary feathers, which are the shorter ones that run from

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<v Speaker 1>the midwing to the shoulder, are made up of soft

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<v Speaker 1>fringes that reduce turbulence behind the wings. The trailing feathers

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<v Speaker 1>on the back end of the wing are also tattered

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<v Speaker 1>in shape, and the rest of the wing and legs

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<v Speaker 1>are covered in short, downy feathers. As the owl flies,

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<v Speaker 1>the trailing fringe in tattered feathers breaks sound waves over

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<v Speaker 1>the wings as the air flows over them. The downy

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<v Speaker 1>feathers absorb any remaining noise created in flight that's above

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand herts, thus eliminating most sounds that owl's potential

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<v Speaker 1>prey can hear, So the secret is in the wings.

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<v Speaker 1>But does this noise reducing design have a place in

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<v Speaker 1>your next airplane flight? Engineers are always in search of

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<v Speaker 1>ways to improve aircraft technology, and nature inspires the greatest innovations.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes called biomimicry. Researchers have looked to the design of

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<v Speaker 1>owl's wings to reduce use the noise created by aircraft

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<v Speaker 1>while keeping takeoffs energy efficient. For example, some proposed to

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<v Speaker 1>the possibility of creating retractable fringe to mirror owls trailing feathers,

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<v Speaker 1>helping reduce turbulence and noise, and others think that applying

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<v Speaker 1>a velvety coating on landing gear will absorb noise just

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<v Speaker 1>as the downy feathers do on an owl's legs. Airports

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<v Speaker 1>like O'Hare and Heathrow have strict noise restrictions on aircraft's takeoff.

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<v Speaker 1>If engineers find a way to reduce noise, more flights

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<v Speaker 1>could take off every day, and revenue could increase. For

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<v Speaker 1>an industry struggling with fuel costs and other problems, the

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<v Speaker 1>wise old owl may provide some solutions. Today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article how can Owls Fly? Silently on

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<v Speaker 1>howstuff Works dot com, written by Sarah Winkler. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with house toffwork dot

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<v Speaker 1>com and is produced by Tyler Klang and Ramsey Young.

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