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The asymmetric, helical ridges may even inspire low-drag hulls or fuselages that stay streamlined while promoting interior air flows.

With Sutherland's new and innovative methods of studying sea creatures, scientists might come to realize that helical swimming is more pervasive than previously thought.

"The helical twist of these fibers is impossible to discern using an optical microscope, or even some super-resolution microscopes, because these things are just too small," Lew said.

Over the next three to six months, the structure developed into cartilage containing tissue that closely replicated the ear's anatomical features, including the helical rim, the "anti-helix" rim-inside-the-rim and the central, conchal bowl.

The magnetic fields induced by each atomic magnetic moment cancel each other out, so the helical magnets do not generate any macroscopic magnetic field.