Page 184 - For Men of Understanding

THE TELESCOPE AND THE
BEE AND HONEYCOMB
Honeycombs serve as models for the
THE MOUTH OF FLY AND THE ZIP frames of telescopes.
The lens of a space telescope, which is
It has only been a century since zips were invented. Yet, flies have been designed to collect X-rays emitted by
using the zip system, for the hundreds of thousands of years since they heavenly bodies, is manufactured from
were created, to lock their lower lips. hexagonal mirrors, in imitation of bee-
The proboscis expands at its tip thus helping to disclose the natural zip. hives.
The reason why hexagonal mirrors are
used is that with this shape, no area is
wasted, and combinations of hexa-
gons reinforce the general structure.
In addition, a sequence made up of
hexagons provides a wide field of
view and a high quality telescope.
Interestingly enough, the eyes of bees
have been made of hexagonal units
for millions of years since they were
created, just as this telescope.

THE BUTTERFLY
AND THE HOSE-PIPE
The butterfly’s proboscis is an advanced
Ïtool equipped with numerous technical
details. At moments of rest, the proboscis is coiled up like a watch’s helical
spring. When the butterfly wants to feed, a special muscle in the proboscis
swings into action. When the proboscis is unwrapped to take the shape of
a pipe, it can even suck the flower’s nectar from the deepest petals.
The straws we use to drink beverages also have the same system.

ARCHITECTURE AND THE COBWEB

The tight structure of the cobweb made by the dew spider does not
permit the web to be torn. In our day, this feature of the web has
been discovered by civil engineers, who use the same system with
the help of barbed wire. The Hajj Terminal in Jeddah Airport, and
Munich Zoo are just two buildings constructed making use of this
principle.