Doing the wet-dog wiggle

Hairy animals optimize shaking speed to shed water quickly

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METHOD TO THE MADNESS Dogs like this Labrador retriever have figured out how to dry themselves as efficiently as possible — by shaking at a frequency that optimizes water droplets flying off. Andrew Dickerson et al/Georgia Institute of Technology

What does a wet dog have in common with a salad spinner? Plenty, according to mechanical engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.