November 21, 2012

Math Models Show Penguins Are Selfish

Elizabeth Preston, Inkfish


AP Photo

Don't let the adorable mini-orchestra-conductor look fool you: penguins aren't that nice. When emperor penguins huddle together during Antarctic storms, they act like they're all in it together. But a new mathematical model shows just how the clusters of birds keep warm, accounting for everything from their geometry to the speed of the wind. Concern for one's fellow bird, it turns out, isn't a factor.

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TAGGED: simulation, mathematics, heat, penguins

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