Three summers ago, Kiel University biomechanist Stainslav Gorb, returned to Germany after a vacation in Turkey with a present for Ph.D. student Helen Gorges. "He came back and was like, 'Helen, I ...

New research into the biomechanics of explosive seed dispersal in squirting cucumbers (Ecballium elaterium) reveals how these plants have adapted a suite of unique traits that help propel their ...

This included filming the seed dispersal using a high-speed camera (capturing up to 8600 frames per second), measuring fruit and stem volume before and after dispersal, performing indentation tests ...

The squirting cucumber shoots its seeds so fast that scientists had to use techniques like high-speed videography to record it. Reading time 3 minutes One of the great mysteries of the botanical world ...