Dr. Jack Costello, Professor of Biology at Providence College, will present a talk about his research, entitled ‘Bending Rules for Animal Propulsion’. Learn more about Dr. Costello’s work here.

During steady motion, natural propulsor tips bend to similar extents in similar locations across unrelated taxa, whether in air or water, in structures of centimeters to tens of meters in length, whether the propulsors are components of endoskeletons, exoskeletons or hydrostatic skeletons, for both actuated and passive propulsors and whether the propulsors act individually or collectively within metachronal waves. This pattern of similarity amidst such diverse organisms, body designs, and materials suggests a powerful selective force acting during animal evolution that has funneled propulsor designs towards a convergent mechanical solution. But what is that selective force and why should it be so strong?

The presentation will begin at 4:00 PM via Microsoft Teams, preceded by an informal Q&A from 3:45 – 4:00 PM.