3 ms·

Has anyone studied how roots tunnel underground so effectively? Maybe we can copy aspects of that.

• staplung 2y ago
  Yes, they have been. The growing tip of a root is called the root apical meristem[1] but the short story is that they work effectively by being tiny and taking years or decades to develop, so not all that helpful in terms of making things easier or cheaper. They also can't really go through rock, though they can often split them, particularly if they have fractures already. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meristem#Root_apical_meristem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meristem#Root_apical_meristem