J R Soc Interface February 2015 PMID 25505133

Boxfish swimming paradox resolved: forces by the flow of water around the body promote manoeuvrability.

S Van Wassenbergh, K van Manen, T A Marcroft, M E Alfaro, E J Stamhuis

Mentions

32
Peak: 20 in Aug 2020
across 5 sources since Mar 2016

Extended reach

374,652
potential audience

Total likes

8,323

Video views

214,101

Mentions per month

Mar 2016 – May 2023

Where it's discussed

  • X / Twitter25 posts
  • News3 articles
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Reddit1 posts
  • Blogs1 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions emphasize surprising aspects of the research, such as how a box-shaped fish's destabilizing flow effects actually promote maneuverability, supported by references to videos and summaries. The tone varies from curiosity to appreciation, showing interest and active engagement with potential implications for robotics and understanding fish movement.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most posts acknowledge and support the findings of the publication, recognizing the counterintuitive idea that boxfish shape enhances maneuverability.

InterestHigh interest

Discussions show high interest, with many references to new videos, explanations, and the significance of the research for underwater robotics and fish behavior.

EngagementModerate engagement

Posts demonstrate moderate engagement through sharing examples, asking questions, and highlighting real-world applications like aquatic robots and predator avoidance.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions suggest that the research could influence how aquatic creatures and underwater devices are understood and designed, indicating a moderate level of impact.

Abstract in brief

  • The study investigates how the shape of the boxfish's carapace influences its swimming abilities, using flowtank experiments and computer simulations.
  • Contrary to previous beliefs, the research finds that the carapace does not significantly reduce drag or stabilize the fish's course; instead, it creates destabilizing moments.
  • These destabilizing effects actually improve the boxfish’s maneuverability, allowing it to perform quick turns in complex reef environments, resolving the paradox of how such a shape can offer both stability and high-performance movement.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
SciShow
@SciShow · X

Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advantages against their sleek predators. https://t.co/J1GFWHIpMt https://t.co/PaUaYtBw49

Aug 18, 2020 · 25 likes · 7 shares · 112,475 followers View post →
Henry the PaleoGuy
@the_paleoguy · X

New video out on the 12 general forms of fish locomotion! https://t.co/PuTIW04SFz

May 7, 2023 · 9 likes · 4 shares · 2,889 followers View post →
Dr. Kyle Anthony Baldwin
@Kyle_A_Baldwin · X

Ever wondered why some fish are a nice & streamlined for speed, and yet others are more like big clumsy looking swimming boxes? ... Me neither! But Sci-Show did, and I'm glad for the info. https://t.co/PAACibDsKv https://t.co/jmmWDJnm8p

Aug 21, 2020 · 2 likes · 1 share · 77 followers View post →
John P. Friel, Ph.D.
@friel · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 18, 2020 · 7 shares · 7,658 followers View post →
IronVerse Comics
@cowboy_steel · X

How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? https://t.co/dx4QpO7aHj via @YouTube

Aug 18, 2020 · 7,633 followers View post →
Eduardo
@hombrelobo · X

¿Por qué hay peces cuadrados? https://t.co/V8fFlKm5Y9

Aug 18, 2020 · 6,570 followers View post →

All mentions

Dr. Diana King
@TheDJ_King · X

RT @the_paleoguy: New video out on the 12 general forms of fish locomotion! https://t.co/PuTIW04SFz

May 8, 2023 · 4 shares · 3,109 followers View post →
/ɹɑb/
@RobertBorland7 · X

RT @the_paleoguy: New video out on the 12 general forms of fish locomotion! https://t.co/PuTIW04SFz

May 7, 2023 · 4 shares · 957 followers View post →
George The Dino Guy
@GeorgeTheDinoG · X

RT @the_paleoguy: New video out on the 12 general forms of fish locomotion! https://t.co/PuTIW04SFz

May 7, 2023 · 4 shares · 226 followers View post →
Fabio Alejandro
@FabioAleRomero · X

RT @the_paleoguy: New video out on the 12 general forms of fish locomotion! https://t.co/PuTIW04SFz

May 7, 2023 · 4 shares · 5,719 followers View post →
Henry the PaleoGuy
@the_paleoguy · X

New video out on the 12 general forms of fish locomotion! https://t.co/PuTIW04SFz

May 7, 2023 · 9 likes · 4 shares · 2,889 followers View post →
FossilFamilyTree
@tree_fossil · X

decades because of it. Some aquatic robots are even modeled after boxfish because their maneuverability has high utility for underwater crafts. https://t.co/wvhsNBWQAq https://t.co/abkSapuWhT https://t.co/6wAgHTIg9U

Aug 8, 2021 · 319 followers View post →
Phodysssey
@phodyssey · X

https://t.co/dJ7ZbSVXA2

Aug 25, 2020 · 44 followers View post →
Luca
@SorrisoCattivo · X

https://t.co/yUXFpJt6Kx

Aug 23, 2020 · 140 followers View post →
Marco
@MarcoGMazza · X

RT @Kyle_A_Baldwin: Ever wondered why some fish are a nice & streamlined for speed, and yet others are more like big clumsy looking swimmin…

Aug 21, 2020 · 1 share · 474 followers View post →
Dr. Kyle Anthony Baldwin
@Kyle_A_Baldwin · X

Here's the original paper, and a Nature summary article titled "boxed up and ready to go" https://t.co/Nf7ySExX4e https://t.co/Onn6twlt6N

Aug 21, 2020 · 77 followers View post →
Dr. Kyle Anthony Baldwin
@Kyle_A_Baldwin · X

Ever wondered why some fish are a nice & streamlined for speed, and yet others are more like big clumsy looking swimming boxes? ... Me neither! But Sci-Show did, and I'm glad for the info. https://t.co/PAACibDsKv https://t.co/jmmWDJnm8p

Aug 21, 2020 · 2 likes · 1 share · 77 followers View post →
Milton Tan
@mtanichthys · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 19, 2020 · 7 shares · 5,091 followers View post →
Cecile Braconnier
@braco001 · X

How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? https://t.co/9LnMuoneUh via @YouTube

Aug 19, 2020 · 737 followers View post →
Charles Ikenna
@CharlesIkenna23 · X

How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? https://t.co/0qSNsQ2YyQ via @YouTube

Aug 19, 2020 · 3,221 followers View post →
Pam Wang
@pamwang · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 18, 2020 · 7 shares · 345 followers View post →
IronVerse Comics
@cowboy_steel · X

How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? https://t.co/dx4QpO7aHj via @YouTube

Aug 18, 2020 · 7,633 followers View post →
Eduardo
@hombrelobo · X

¿Por qué hay peces cuadrados? https://t.co/V8fFlKm5Y9

Aug 18, 2020 · 6,570 followers View post →
e-csce
@e_csce · X

How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? @ https://t.co/4OhoY4KLFu https://t.co/bvJgc8jHfm

Aug 18, 2020 · 118 followers View post →
William Wallace
@bill14051 · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 18, 2020 · 7 shares · 326 followers View post →
Asta Muratti
@AstaMuratti · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 18, 2020 · 7 shares · 1,225 followers View post →
Andrea J.
@esgaril · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 18, 2020 · 7 shares · 125 followers View post →
Johannes Lüke
@JohannesSLueke · X

New video by SciShow: How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? https://t.co/DnaCZVKBb9

Aug 18, 2020 · 84 followers View post →
Kitty
@kittybravofan · X

How Does a Box-Shaped Fish Swim? https://t.co/cZ6FWjMOEE via @YouTube

Aug 18, 2020 · 720 followers View post →
John P. Friel, Ph.D.
@friel · X

RT @SciShow: Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advanta…

Aug 18, 2020 · 7 shares · 7,658 followers View post →
SciShow
@SciShow · X

Being shaped like a box doesn't seem conducive to being a particularly agile fish, but the boxfish has some surprising advantages against their sleek predators. https://t.co/J1GFWHIpMt https://t.co/PaUaYtBw49

Aug 18, 2020 · 25 likes · 7 shares · 112,475 followers View post →
Translating Marine Biology Into Engineering a Review of Biomimicry ...
News

2014.1146. 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11198897. Varaganti, P., Seo, S ... 10.1098/rsif.2006.0127. Shi, X., Alam, M.M., Bai, H., Wang, H., 2020. The ...

Dec 17, 2025 View →
Yellow Boxfish off the coast of Hurghada, Egypt, 04/2022. : r/scuba
Reddit

Apparently their shape enhances their maneuverability(https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2014.1146). EatDiveFly. • 3y ago.

Nov 27, 2022 View →
Keď príroda inšpiruje nové technológie – prechádzkou medzi ...
Blogs

Dostupné z DOI: 10.1073/pnas.222313099, DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.1146, DOI: 10.1242/jeb.01356, DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.2.000589. Máte pripomienku ...

Mar 17, 2016 View →
Has car manufacturer taken the corner too fast with boxfish design ...
News

Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2014; 12 (103): 20141146 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.1146. Cite This Page: MLA; APA; Chicago. University of ...

Jan 6, 2015 View →
Bringing Fish From Ocean Floor: Carefully Released Rockfish Can ...
News

Research has shown that carefully recompressing rockfish that have been brought up from the ocean floor may help them temporarily recover ...

Aug 6, 2009 View →