The woodpecker's skull - a "black" box

To many, it has seemed miraculous how a woodpecker, drumming away all day long to extract even the "very devil" from tree trunks, manages to remain lively, alert and healthy. The explanation is simple: nature has designed woodpecker skulls in such a way that the force of the impact is absorbed. Scientists have used this natural formation or design when constructing aircraft "black boxes".