When aircrash investigators of the future retrieve a flight recorder from the wreckage of a plane they may have the golden-fronted woodpecker, Melanerpes aurifons, to thank for the survival of the flight data. The reason? A shock absorber inspired by the bird’s ability to withstand severe deceleration. A woodpecker’s head experiences decelerations of 1200g as it drums on a tree at up to 22 times p
![Woodpecker's head inspires shock absorbers](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/9e6cbef10164ad17b6d737f57e416b7e20b1d42a/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fimages.newscientist.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F02%2Fdn20088-1_300.jpg)