Sharks show us the way in travel dilemma

Today’s jet aircraft are 80% more fuel-efficient than those of the 1960’s, but aviation still accounts for 3.5% of human-induced climate change, writes Richard Collins

With demand for air travel steadily increasing, this figure may reach 5% by 2050. Cars can be powered by electricity generated from renewable sources, but not aircraft. It seems that we can’t travel by air without damaging the environment.

According to a paper just published, a similar problem faced the ancestors of sharks long ago. They had energy resource issues not unlike those facing air travellers today. The ancient fish, however, managed to evolve a two-tier solution to their problems which we might imitate today.