ThunderIdeal Posted July 25, 2014 i'm not sure how well-known my discovery is, but there is a plant which i'm pretty seriously convinced has been making use of wheel technology. i will narrow the field down if nobody has a clue what i'm talking about. the prize is a sense of wonderment, and maybe some imaginative mental sequence with weird looking innovative vehicles. maybe even a patent on said scifi-turistic bio-inspired eco-ride. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fydesvindico Posted July 25, 2014 The only plant that I can think of that makes use of wheel technology, particularly my bicycle wheels, but also the soles if my feet is tribulus terrestris, aka bindii's haha.. But I will continue to scratch my head over this one.. I'm interested in finding out what your talking about 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paradox Posted July 25, 2014 well theres tumbleweeds but thay're not exactly like a wheel.. kind of though, do you mean that this plant has a 'wheel' & the equivalent of an axle? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wert Posted July 25, 2014 Narrow the feild down allready. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted July 26, 2014 forgot about tumbleweed! paradox you get a prize. okay so it may not be native, but i found a seedpod in australia that rolls around under power of wind or gravity. it probably enjoys smooth terrain eg desert or rocks, and could easily be blown up a hill. we can argue about it's wheel-like characteristics when somebody gets it. FVD, the way you came at my problem from a different angle and produced a totally valid answer just fills me with joy. you get a prize, and so do i. i kinda grew up in NSW and tribulus made good on my bike tyres as well as my feet. what most people call a bindi is more akin to a seed with a glochid. bonus prize because tribulus was first to invent battlefield technology known as caltrops. we called them three horn jacks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paradox Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) not a plant obviously but some bacteria with flagellum have a true 'wheel' or at least a mechanism that functions very similarly to a wheel in that the flagellum rotates on what is almost like an axle.. i don't really know much about it but apparently it's some very sophisticated mechanics edit: it doesn't roll along though so not the same function as a wheel Edited July 26, 2014 by paradox 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DiscoStu Posted July 26, 2014 not a plant, but this cute little guy doubles as a wheel 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) not a plant obviously but some bacteria with flagellum have a true 'wheel' or at least a mechanism that functions very similarly to a wheel in that the flagellum rotates on what is almost like an axle.. i don't really know much about it but apparently it's some very sophisticated mechanics edit: it doesn't roll along though so not the same function as a wheel no prize for wheel bearings. actually it has a motor and a screw, which means that nature invented marine propulsion (shipping without reliance on wind) before we did. Edited July 26, 2014 by ThunderIdeal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted July 26, 2014 not a plant, but this cute little guy doubles as a wheel that wheel provides heaps more suspension than an inflatable rubber tyre. one must ask, did the spider turn into a wheel, or does the wheel disguise itself as a spider to keep humans safe from the fierce battle between autobots and decepticons? final hint: it isn't shaped like a disc, it's more like a rolling pin, but it's mostly empty space, making it such a great wind-powered vehicle. if i seperated a small fraction, it's ability to generate hatin' would drastically diminish. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) Have you ever seen those grass seeds screw themselves in. Looks like there are many species that do it. I think one of the native grasses is the common Kangaroo grass Themeda triandra. When the seeds get wet they start 'screwing' Edited July 26, 2014 by Halcyon Daze 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alice Posted July 26, 2014 The birdcage plant, Oenothera deltoides. Saw this on a doco just the other day! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tarenna Posted July 26, 2014 Have you ever seen those grass seeds screw themselves in. Looks like there are many species that do it. I think one of the native grasses is the common Kangaroo grass Themeda triandra. When the seeds get wet they start 'screwing' Spear grass - Stipa or Austrostipa... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fydesvindico Posted July 27, 2014 not a plant, but this cute little guy doubles as a wheel Also not a plant, but this guy's got the right idea Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fenris Posted July 27, 2014 When the seeds get wet they start 'screwing' My girlfriend, reading over my shoulder remarked something along the lines of "that's just like me" 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wert Posted July 31, 2014 Algea getting flushed down the shiter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~shameless~ Posted August 1, 2014 A star shaped dry grass seed pod that blows around in light breezes, around late summer early autumn , is this close? Im trying to find a genus, seen it but cant name it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~shameless~ Posted August 1, 2014 ??? Only pic I could find of it, I still dont know its botanic name though, fairly common in central vic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) ..more of a ball innit? final hint: it isn't shaped like a disc, it's more like a rolling pin, but it's mostly empty space, making it such a great wind-powered vehicle. if i seperated a small fraction, it's ability to generate hatin' would drastically diminish. impressed by the amount of responses though! you're all winners. i will post photographs as soon as i can be stuffed. i assume it's caesalpiniaceae. edit: yeah, honey locust i reckon. Edited August 1, 2014 by ThunderIdeal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
~shameless~ Posted August 1, 2014 Ah, I missed that hint, im stumped now though, im keen to see the seed dispersal method Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paradox Posted August 3, 2014 Honey locust pods are way more fleshy & longer than that. Looks more like some kind of albizia or relative. Fabaceae. Cool though, I'd never put two & two together regarding the helical shape when they're dry. Nice one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted August 3, 2014 ^ i know right? i saw it rolling down the road with the wind otherwise it would have looked like ordinary legume gunk, gunking up gutters. it's probably harder to evolve into an ultra-minimalist rolling-pin compared with a ball, unless you're a bean pod. plus, balls don't catch as much wind, and they roll in the direction of each gust. i imagine the beanpod works a bit more like a sailboat, pushing forwards even if the wind is at an angle, except when it pushes backwards instead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites