Exploration In The Wisker World TP Part 1

Written and Drawn by Geoff Goss

Researchers at London South Bank University and Manchester Metropolitan University have been investigating how different mammals use their whiskers for a decade. The research is multidisciplinary, in the sense that the author is from an engineering background, whilst the other investigators are based in the biological sciences. The author's speciality is on the nonlinear mechanics of long slender objects - rods, cables, beams. He applied that to whiskers. Many challenges emerge -- how to model them mathematically, how they work, what signals go to the brain, and why some creatures have them and others do not. But he likes animals more than he likes engineering! He also likes drawing and painting. So this comic came out of many years of theoretical research into whiskers. He found that once you open the door into whisker world, you find many other doors to open and he hopes this little book conveys something of that adventure. Hope you enjoy it.