A Wind in the Willows (or Vice Versa)

This is hardy surprising as the structure of trees and grasses has been tuned by the wind to withstand it's ravages over thousands of years of evolution.

It's about as surprising as the fact that fish can swim...

Concur on the surprise value; appears to be another example of something so obvious on the face of it that it just totally escaped the notice of all those design engineers for all those years. Plus you can't patent wood, so it's initially more profitable to come up with an alloy or a polymer to use instead.

been using wood to make airplane propellers for years and they seem to hold up very well. (aside from striking the ground) Metal props are not as forgiving as a nick not dressed will most of the time result in the metal prop failing at a later date. Harmonics?

Agreed to above. However, this is an issue that I speak to as often as possible. I am continuously encouraging those with whom I speak to take the knowledge they have today and revisit some of the long forgotten or overlooked issues of yore.

The screw, lever, wheel and inclined plane - Now lets make 'em out of unobtanium polarize 'em super cool 'em and run a phase shifting 20 x 3¹⁰V through em' at 7 x25^-10A and see if we cant catch a smarter mouse.

I hope we continue to take new technologies and apply them to the most very basic devices, problems and solutions science and life offer; being not afraid of the elementary nature of childish curiosity.

After all, what greater joy is there than that of prolonged childhood?

cr3