Scientists already knew that many species of insect wings repel water and killmicrobes, in an unusual way
Their wings have an ordered pattern of tiny columns on the wings. They contribute to the hydrophobicity of the wings and probably play a role in the destruction of microbes that try to attach to the wings.
Physicists have found new anomalies in the size of atomic nuclei
To study the details of nanostars, scientistsdeveloped a method for the gradual extraction of compounds to the surface without damaging the overall structure of the wings. Researchers placed each wing in a solvent in a closed chamber and treated it.
It turned out that the wings of cicadas are covered with a mixture ofhydrocarbons, fatty acids and oxygen-containing molecules such as sterols, alcohols and esters. Oxygen-containing molecules were more abundant than others, while hydrocarbons and fatty acids accounted for most of the outer nanostube layers.