Cat lovers know when kitties groom, their tongues are pretty scratchy. Using high-tech scans and some other tricks, scientists are learning how those sandpapery tongues help cats get clean and stay cool. The secret: Tiny hooks that spring up on the tongue – with scoops built in to carry saliva deep into all that fur.
That's the finding of research in the lab of David Hu, an associate professor in the Schools of Mechanical Engineering and of Biological Sciences. Hu is also an adjunct professor in the School of Physics.
Hu's Ph.D. student Alexis Noel, who conducted the study, is seeking a patent for a 3D-printed, tongue-inspired brush.
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