Image by PIRO4D, from Pixabay

Shark Skin Study Reveals Insights For Enhancing Aircraft And Boat Efficiency

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

Researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology have uncovered details about how great white sharks reduce drag, which could lead to advancements in aircraft and boat design. Their study explores how the shark’s unique skin structures—known as dermal denticles—play a key role in minimizing friction as the shark swims at various speeds.

The great white shark’s skin is covered with tiny tooth-like structures that help it move efficiently through water. These denticles vary in shape, size, and spacing, allowing the shark to maintain high speeds while hunting and to cruise long distances with minimal energy expenditure.

Previous research has used shark denticles as inspiration to develop riblets—small, unidirectional ridges—for aircraft and sailboats. However, Tokio Tech News reports that the variation in shape, size, and spacing of denticles across a shark’s body complicates the understanding. This variation makes it challenging to fully grasp how these factors collectively impact drag reduction.

This new study highlights how different ridge heights on these denticles contribute to this drag reduction. High middle ridges are particularly effective at slower speeds, aiding in efficient cruising, while lower side ridges become more important during high-speed hunting bursts.

By developing 3D models of these denticles, the Tokyo Tech team was able to analyze how the ridges’ height and spacing impact drag reduction. Their findings suggest that the combination of high and low ridges allows the shark to handle a wide range of swimming speeds efficiently.

Associate Professor Hiroto Tanaka, the study’s lead author, explains, “Our calculations suggest that the combination of high and low ridges of the denticles results from adapting to both slow and high swimming speeds, thereby offering robustness to various swimming conditions”

The researchers used a microfocus X-ray CT scanner . This scanner created detailed 3D models of the denticles. They then analyzed these models to understand how the denticles’ design affects drag reduction. The study builds on earlier fluid dynamics research. This research showed that the denticles’ ridges help lift turbulent vortices away from the shark’s skin. As a result, friction drag is reduced.

Tanaka further notes, “High ridges likely reduce drag at low swimming speeds, and high-low alternating ridges reduce drag at high swimming speeds, covering the full range of swimming speeds. Our calculation method also can be applied to other sharks including extinct species.”

This research not only highlights the efficiency of modern sharks, but also opens up potential for innovation in engineering fields. By mimicking the denticle structures found in sharks, engineers can design riblets for aircraft and boats that reduce drag and improve performance, much like how sharks achieve optimal swimming efficiency.

Photo by Adarsh Chauhan on Unsplash

Judge Declares Google An Illegal Monopoly In Federal Court

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

A federal judge in the United States ruled this week that Google has been illegally maintaining its dominance in online searches.

“After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly,” declared Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in the 277-page document published on Monday.

According to the judge’s ruling, Google has been paying billions of dollars to become the world’s default search engine for citizens across the world. The data provided by the judge shows that by 2020 Google held 90% of web searches and 96% on mobile. And, as reported by Reuters , Mehta noted that only in 2021, Google paid $26.3 billion to maintain dominance. In that same year, advertisers paid $150 billion to Google to reach users through its popular browser.

Judge Mehta’s decision represents the Federal Government’s first big win in the modern Internet era. According to Reuters, the verdict comes weeks after finishing hearing arguments from both sides—closing arguments were presented in May this year—. However, the case was filed by the former Trump administration—conducted by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)— years ago, in 2020 .

According to the New York Times , this decision will have a major impact on the company and the Big Tech world. “This is the most important antitrust case of the century, and it’s the first of a big slate of cases to come down against Big Tech,” said Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a professor at Vanderbilt University to the newspaper.