Researching the woodpecker
l was sitting out on my deck the other morning when suddenly I heard a loud tap, tap, tap, tap. Really it was more of a Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! It was a woodpecker having his breakfast. I watched the bird powerfully and repeatedly bang its head into that tree. How can woodpeckers forcefully pound their beaks over and over into solid wood like that and not hurt their heads? It seems like their brains would be mashed potatoes by the end of the day. But I've never seen a woodpecker show any signs of having a concussion. Why?
The National Football League is gearing up for a new season. Preseason games start in August. The NFL has been having all kinds of legal problems with the player's union. The union says some players are having serious health and mental problems and even a shortened life span due to recurring concussions from repeated forceful impact to their heads when tackling.
I thought, why doesn't the NFL study the woodpecker? Maybe they could figure out what protects the bird's brain from injury and transfer that knowledge to human adaptation so they could play the game without concussions.
Intrigued, I looked up woodpecker on the internet and guess what? Someone is studying them. Two such researchers are Sang-Hee Yoon and Sungmin Park of the University of California. The woodpecker taps an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 times per day, 18 to 22 times per second. Its head strikes with at least a 1,000 times the force of gravity with no apparent damage. If a human experienced a 100 g (force of gravity) impact, it could do serious damage or even kill him.
The bird's anatomy acts to protect its brain. Some of the reasons woodpeckers don't get headaches (or concussions) are: Self sharpening, chisel-like beak that moves into the wood rather than stopping abruptly. Strong neck muscles. Reduced space in the cranium keeps the brain from sloshing around. Skull bones are spongy. And, the orientation of the brain allows the force to be spread over a larger surface area.
Both the US Army and football helmet -maker Riddell are studying advanced head protection gear. They're trying to reduce pressure on the front of the brain, where most concussions occur. Multi-layered systems like the bird-inspired project could be a step in that direction. This might solve the NFL's concussion problem.
All this certainly has given me a new respect for the noisy little woodpecker. He just might be a physiological Einstein.
Keep Smiling.
Linda Messmer can be reached at 812-448-8725.
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