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| images: spishram, Mike Baird, foxypar4, Jams_123, basykes |
Those
long, lush eyelashes mascara commercials are pushing for my actually
be putting women at an evolutionary disadvantage. Eyelashes serve an
important purpose, keeping small debris out of one of our most
important mucous membranes. They also let us know when something is
close to our eyes so that they are not poked! Researchers have found
that there is an optimum length for eyelashes. This Goldilocks length
of about one-third the length of the eye appears to provide the best
protection for animal peepers.
David Hu, a
scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, studies
how air flows around an animals body parts. He found that when
eyelashes are long they actually funnel air, and consequently the
dust and particles in the air, directly into the eye. If the
eyelashes are too short, they don't provide enough protection. The
medium length eyelashes deflect about half of the particles from
entering the eye.
Hu and his team
completed several experiments, surveyed actual animal eyelashes and
used computer models to come to their conclusions. Through
experimentation they found that eyelashes mostly deflect air to keep
debris out, rather than actually catching the debris. Therefore, the eye
is working more as a particle diverter, rather than a filter. They
measured the eyelashes on animal pelts of 22 species, from hedgehogs
to giraffes. The one-third of the eye length ration held true in
these specimens just as computer models predicted.
This new
information might be useful to engineers in improving products such
as protective gear for camera lenses and sensors. It might even have
some implications in battling conditions such as dry eye in humans.
This study would
be a great addition to many science topics- ratios in the body and in
nature, animal adaptations and a study of the eye. There are resource
links and book suggestions for lessons on the eye below. We'd love to
hear how you incorporate this into your science lessons! Comment
below, or e-mail me at: shareitscience@gmail.com
- Science News for Students: "Eyelashes: The "sweet" length"
- The Royal Society: "Eyelashes divert air flow to protect the eye" (Full text)
- Education World: The Eyes Have it! Lots of activities and lesson ideas
- Discovery Education, Lesson Plan Library: The Eye-Structure and Function
- Share it! Science News: Man's Best Friend May be the Key to Understanding Blindness
Book Suggestions:
(Click images for more information about books. Please see disclosure statement on sidebar about affiliate links.)
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