Biological screw joint

Last updated

The biological screw joint is a naturally occurring form of the screw joint, a mechanical device that combines rotational movement with single-axis translation. Alexander Riedel of the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe and Thomas van de Kamp of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology [1] discovered it in specimens of Trigonopterus oblongus , a weevil found in Papua. [2]

Contents

Discovery

Anatomical examination was made for specimens of the weevil species Trigonopterus oblongus , provided by the Karlsruhe State Museum of Natural History, using a microtomograph at the Institute of Synchrotron Radiation (ANKA) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The analysis revealed that the weevils had a nut-and-screw system for the hip-leg joint. [1]

Mechanism

Diagram of the biological screw in the weevil Trigonopterus oblongus Biological screw Trigonopterus.jpg
Diagram of the biological screw in the weevil Trigonopterus oblongus
The lateral aspect on thorax of the weevil Trigonopterus oblongus. In this genus, the metanepisternite is absent and the elytron touches the metaventrite (indicated). Trigonopterus oblongus, lateral aspect on thorax of weevil (Curculionidae).jpg
The lateral aspect on thorax of the weevil Trigonopterus oblongus. In this genus, the metanepisternite is absent and the elytron touches the metaventrite (indicated).

The mechanism has been described as "rotational movement combined with a single-axis translation". [3]

The arthropod hip–leg joint consists of two parts – the coxa (or the hip) and the trochanter (or the head of the arthropod leg femur). [4] The coxa, in the case of weevils, resembles a nut, and it has a thread running along its inner surface with an angular span of 345°. [2] [4] The trochanter resembles the screw. [4] It is rod-shaped with a large external spiral flange, having an angular span of 410°, in excess of a full circle, which functions as a thread. [2] When the leg muscles of a beetle are stretched, the screw turns. Though the screw-thread provide for very large angular rotation, the front legs of weevils are capable of rotating by 90°, while their hind legs can rotate by 130°. [5]

The weevils are just 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long and can fold their legs below their body. The joint is just 0.5 millimetres (0.020 in) in size. [1] [3] Before this was discovered, all known hip-leg joints have been based on either the ball and socket joint system for hip-leg connections, as in humans, as hinges or as saddle joints. [1] [3] The discovery is the first ever instance of a musculoskeletal nut-and-screw system in the animal kingdom. [1]

Evolution

The screw-and-nut system has been found to be present in all 15 weevils examined by the scientists and appears to be a hitherto unknown anatomical feature of weevils. [1] [5] It has been estimated that weevils evolved this system about 100 million years ago. It is surmised that the development of this feature provided additional flexibility which permitted weevils to improve their climbing abilities, keep steady when at rest, and have stronger leverage for piercing by the snout. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human leg</span> Lower extremity or limb of the human body (foot, lower leg, thigh and hip)

The human leg is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or buttock region. The major bones of the leg are the femur, tibia, and adjacent fibula. The thigh is between the hip and knee, while the calf (rear) and shin (front) are between the knee and foot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curculionidae</span> Family of beetles

The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Femur</span> Thigh bone

The femur, or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh. The thigh is the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gluteus minimus</span> Smallest of the three gluteal muscles

The gluteus minimus, or glutæus minimus, the smallest of the three gluteal muscles, is situated immediately beneath the gluteus medius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolted joint</span> Mechanical joint secured by a threaded fastener

A bolted joint is one of the most common elements in construction and machine design. It consists of a male threaded fastener that captures and joins other parts, secured with a matching female screw thread. There are two main types of bolted joint designs: tension joints and shear joints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screw thread</span> Helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force

A screw thread, often shortened to thread, is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix, with the former being called a straight thread and the latter called a tapered thread. A screw thread is the essential feature of the screw as a simple machine and also as a threaded fastener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hip</span> Anatomical region between the torso and the legs, holding the buttocks and genital region

In vertebrate anatomy, hip refers to either an anatomical region or a joint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psoas major muscle</span> Long fusiform muscle located in the lumbar region

The psoas major is a long fusiform muscle located in the lateral lumbar region between the vertebral column and the brim of the lesser pelvis. It joins the iliacus muscle to form the iliopsoas. In animals, this muscle is equivalent to the tenderloin.

Trendelenburg gait, named after Friedrich Trendelenburg, is an abnormal gait. It is caused by weakness or ineffective action of the gluteus medius muscle and the gluteus minimus muscle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscles of the hip</span> Causes movement in the hip.

In human anatomy, the muscles of the hip joint are those muscles that cause movement in the hip. Most modern anatomists define 17 of these muscles, although some additional muscles may sometimes be considered. These are often divided into four groups according to their orientation around the hip joint: the gluteal group; the lateral rotator group; the adductor group; and the iliopsoas group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatomical terms of motion</span> Terms describing animal motion

Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative to the anatomical position of the body parts involved. Anatomists and others use a unified set of terms to describe most of the movements, although other, more specialized terms are necessary for describing unique movements such as those of the hands, feet, and eyes.

The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, tarsus, ischium, metatarsus, carpus, dactylus, patella.

In medicine, physiotherapy, chiropractic, and osteopathy the hip examination, or hip exam, is undertaken when a patient has a complaint of hip pain and/or signs and/or symptoms suggestive of hip joint pathology. It is a physical examination maneuver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screw (simple machine)</span> Mechanism that converts motion, and forces, from rotational to linear

A screw is a mechanism that converts rotational motion to linear motion, and a torque to a linear force. It is one of the six classical simple machines. The most common form consists of a cylindrical shaft with helical grooves or ridges called threads around the outside. The screw passes through a hole in another object or medium, with threads on the inside of the hole that mesh with the screw's threads. When the shaft of the screw is rotated relative to the stationary threads, the screw moves along its axis relative to the medium surrounding it; for example rotating a wood screw forces it into wood. In screw mechanisms, either the screw shaft can rotate through a threaded hole in a stationary object, or a threaded collar such as a nut can rotate around a stationary screw shaft. Geometrically, a screw can be viewed as a narrow inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screw</span> Type of fastener characterized by a thread wrapped around a cylinder core

A screw and a bolt are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a male thread. Screws and bolts are used to fasten materials by the engagement of the screw thread with a similar female thread in a matching part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mordellidae</span> Family of beetles

The Mordellidae are a family of beetles commonly known as tumbling flower beetles for the typical irregular movements they make when escaping predators, or as pintail beetles due to their abdominal tip which aids them in performing these tumbling movements. Worldwide, there are about 1500 species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Differential screw</span>

A differential screw is a mechanism used for making small, precise adjustments to the spacing between two objects. A differential screw uses a spindle with two screw threads of differing leads, and possibly opposite handedness, on which two nuts move. As the spindle rotates, the space between the nuts changes based on the difference between the threads. These mechanisms allow extremely small adjustments using commonly available screws. A differential screw mechanism using two nuts incurs higher friction and therefore requires more torque to turn than a simple, single lead screw with an equivalent pitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller screw</span> Low-friction precision screw-type actuato

A roller screw, also known as a planetary roller screw or satellite roller screw, is a low-friction precision screw-type actuator, a mechanical device for converting rotational motion to linear motion, or vice versa. Planetary roller screws are used as the actuating mechanism in many electro-mechanical linear actuators. Due to its complexity the roller screw is a relatively expensive actuator, but may be suitable for high-precision, high-speed, heavy-load, long-life and heavy-use applications.

<i>Trigonopterus</i> Genus of beetles

Trigonopterus is a genus of flightless weevils placed in the Cryptorhynchinae of Curculionidae. It is distributed in Australia, Indonesia and Melanesia. About 90 species had been formally described until March 2013, when a single paper more than doubled this number, agreeing with previous studies and a systematic barcoding study that many more species have yet to be described. As of October 2021, there were 480 described species.

<i>Trigonopterus oblongus</i> Species of beetle

Trigonopterus oblongus is a weevil found in Papua. It was notable as the first known instance of a biological screw joint. The weevils are just 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long and can fold their legs below their body. The biological screw joint is just 0.5 millimetres (0.020 in) in size. This discovery was made by Alexander Riedel of the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe and by Thomas van de Kamp of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (source) (5 July 2011). "Nature uses screws and nuts: previously unknown musculoskeletal system discovered in weevils". Science Daily . Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 van de Kamp, Thomas; Vagovic, Patrik; Baumbach, Tilo; Riedel, Alexander (1 July 2011). "A biological screw in a beetle's leg". Science . 333 (6038): 52. Bibcode:2011Sci...333...52V. doi:10.1126/science.1204245. PMID   21719669.
  3. 1 2 3 Tenenbaum, David J. (30 Jun 2011). "Meet the biological screw". The Why Files. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Ross, Valerie (30 Jun 2011). "Zooming in on beetles' knees, biologists find tiny screws and nuts". Discover . Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  5. 1 2 Brown, Mark (5 July 2011). "Weevil has nuts and bolts in its legs". Wired UK . Retrieved 25 July 2011.