Abstract

At the scale of insects or small animals, capillarity dominates (by far) gravity effects, and it can be used for manipulating liquids. As an example, we discuss how insects exploit the principles of capillarity to control liquid (at large), especially to move them (even when viscous) or to drink them. Among the creatures to be discussed, we’ll find a blue bug, bees, hummingbirds, an aquatic spider and aphids.

Biography

After his PhD, David Quéré joined the CNRS and carried out his research successively in the Departments of Physics of Condensed Matter (Collège de France) and of Physics and Mechanics of Heterogeneous Media (ESPCI Paris). In 2006, he also became Professor at the École Polytechnique (Departments of Physics and Mechanics). His research is experimental in nature, with a strong focus on interfacial hydrodynamics (droplets, films, bubbles, coating, impregnation), and forays into aerodynamics, morphogenesis and biomimetics. He is or has been a scientific advisor to Saint-Gobain, Procter & Gamble and Nikon/Essilor, co-editor of Europhysics Letters and associate editor of Physical Review Fluids. He was awarded the 2001 Ernest-Dechelle Prize by the French Academy of Sciences, the 2014 CNRS Silver Medal, the title of Distinguished Professor at ESPCI in 2016 and the APS Prize in Fluid Dynamics in 2021.