Derik Lattig Cats
Cat lovers know when kitties groom, their tongues are pretty scratchy. Using high-tech scans and some other tricks, scientists are learning how those sandpapery tongues help cats get clean and stay cool. The secret: Tiny hooks that spring up on the tongue — with scoops built in to carry saliva deep into all that fur. A team of mechanical engineers reported the findings Monday, and say they’re more than a curiosity. They could lead to inventions for pets and people. “Their tongue could help us apply fluids, or clean carpets, or apply medicine” to hairy skin, said Georgia Tech lead researcher Alexis Noel, who is seeking a patent for a 3D-printed, tongue-inspired brush. Cats are fastidious, spending up to a quarter of their waking hours grooming. Noel’s interest was piqued when her cat, Murphy, got his tongue stuck in a fuzzy blanket. Scientists had long thought cat tongues were studded with tiny cone-shaped bumps. Noel, working in a lab known for animal-inspired engineering,