A. Washing machine

B. Zen garden

C. Thermal blanket

D. Pain relief bandages

A coat is a wondrous thing: not only does the animal look stylish, but when it is cold, the hairs stand up to influence airflow so that heat near the skin dissipates less quickly. A remnant of this is noticeable in humans via the goosebumps response.

When the fur is wet, such regulation is not possible, and so the moisture must be expelled as quickly as possible. Researchers filmed 16 furry animal species being sprayed with water and subsequently analyzed the footage. Furry animals can shake themselves up to 70% dry in a fraction of a second. This is achieved through a combination of shaking back and forth and elastic skin that creates forces capable of overriding gravity by up to 70 times.
 

These insights inspire washing machine manufacturers to shake laundry instead of spinning it, and the Mars Rover could also use a similar sequence to shake the dust off its solar panels.  

• For more information: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2012.11177
• Credit photo: Michael Starkie