It's the Flea's Knees

By | October 14, 2005
4 Comments

In today’s Guardian:

A type of rubbery material based on the protein that helps fleas jump could be used to repair damaged arteries, Nature reports today.

But it gets better. Kurzweil AI spins it like this:

Future versions of the material could be used to make resilient human spare parts, including spinal discs and artificial arteries.

How about giving us knees that would allow us to jump distances proportional to what fleas do? If I had a set of those, I could jump to work every day. Okay, maybe it would take three or four hops, but still.

  • http://drinktank.blogspot.com ivankirigin

    It’s the landing you should worry about. A flea has much higher friction with the air relatively, making the landing soft. I’m sure you know this :b

  • Phil Bowermaster

    Well, I was thinking I would wear a jacket and kind of hold it wide open, parachute style.

  • http://triticale.mu.nu triticale

    The force your muscles would have to apply to your legs would be so great as to snap bones. It’s that old cube-square law; the reason a duece roadster with a bit of dynamite in it is enough to take out a Giant Gila Monster.

  • Phil Bowermaster

    Good call, triticale. In addition to wearing a jacket, I’ll be sure to take double (maybe even triple?) doses of calcium supplements for a week or two before making that first jump.