Kingfishers

God designed the kingfisher—a type of bird—with a long, pointy beak. When it dives into the water to catch a fish, its remarkably designed beak and head allow it to enter the water with virtually no splash.

A researcher in Japan observed the kingfisher diving after fish and wondered if he could apply what he’d seen to a problem he was having. You see, some trains in Japan travel very fast, and they created a lot of noise when coming out of tunnels due to the air pressure waves pushed ahead of the train. People who lived near the tunnels complained of the loud BOOM that was produced every time a train exited a tunnel.

The researcher suggested redesigning the front of the train to mimic the beak and head of the kingfisher. This redesign helped reduce the noise and also helped the train to use less energy and travel faster!