User:Maddicomputes

I am sorry, I don't know how to do this and my time is very limited, but I found a citation for two of your [need citation] marks in Wikipedia's "Whale", so I wanted to give you the citations, but it is so difficult to follow what you have put down as ways to give "citations". I will just put here the "Whale" URL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale

Citatation needed 1. Their skin has evolved hydrophilic properties. Its surface is covered with microscopic pores surrounded by nanoridges[citation needed]

Citation needed 2. Between these ridges there is a rubber-like gel which is excreted from the gaps between the skin cells.[citation needed]

I found a citation at:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1616

Here is the article:

"Whale skin inspires toxic paint replacement" 19:00 28 November 2001 From New Scientist Print Edition. Subscribe and get 4 free issues. James Randerson

"The hygiene secrets of pilot whales might hold the key to environmentally friendly paint for ships. It seems the whales have specially adapted skin that repels would-be hangers-on.

Christoph Baum and a team from the Hanover School of Veterinary Medicine in Germany have discovered that a pilot whale's skin has a specialised nano-structure that stops the build-up of microscopic organisms such as barnacle larvae. They plan to mimic the idea in an anti-fouling paint.

The finding may also explain why cetaceans often leap acrobatically out of the water. Because their skin is hydrophilic, larvae, bugs and other contaminants prefer to latch onto air bubbles on the skin's surface. By crashing back into the sea the whales create streams of air bubbles that help dislodge the freeloaders.

'''Nanoridges and gels Baum and his team examined freeze-dried samples of pilot whale skin under a cryo-scanning electron microscope. They discovered a surface made up of tiny pores 0.1 micrometres across surrounded by raised "nanoridges".

In between the ridges is a rubber-like gel containing enzymes that denature proteins and carbohydrates. The gel, which oozes out of the gaps between skin cells, is replenished as the whale sheds its skin.'''

Baum thinks that organisms such as bacteria and diatoms have trouble sticking to the ridge edges, which provide little purchase. And if they try hanging onto the gel the enzymes will attack them. Without these pioneers, larger creatures such as crustacean or mollusc larvae have a hard time colonising the whale's skin.

For whales, a clear skin is more than just a cosmetic nicety. It is vital for maintaining maximum swimming speed and performance, says Baum. He suspects that keeping down the energy costs of swimming is important for the whale's survival. ..."