A Quick Question,

what is this a photograph of?

photograph by Pascal Deynat/Odontobase, CC BY-SA 3.0, it is in fact a close up of sharkskin, sharks like other aquatic animals need to make their skin as hydrodynamic as possible, so why is their skin ribbed? it appears that rough and ribbed skin reduces drag as the shark swims through water, two major components of sharkskin play into this role. The first is a complex interaction with the passive way the shark’s scales respond to water flows, the second is the “riblet” features on the scales of the shark’s skin, riblets are essentially like small keels on the skin, which are aligned with the flow direction of the water flowing over the shark’s body, one might expect the extra wetted surface area created by the riblets to increase drag, but they do quite the opposite. The mechanisms are still not fully understood, but research has revealed some of the secrets involved, so what is the next step?

this, photograph Lufthansa Cleantech Hub, the photograph shows workers applying the film to a Lufthansa aircraft, Lufthansa has announced its plans to integrate AeroSHARK into its entire cargo freight fleet, including ten Boeing 777s. This move is estimated to save 3,700 tons of jet fuel and prevent 11,700 tons of CO2 emissions annually, it is believed the film could be slightly more effective on cargo aircraft, which don’t have rows of passenger windows to work around, how amazing is that! Millions of years in the evolution of it's skin, the physical properties of the skin will make aircraft more efficient, from the article:

"The key will be whether or not the material will hold up over time and maintain its performance in real world use, where grit and grime could threaten its performance potential.  If the material does work in practice, and doesn’t create undue maintenance hassles, expect it to quickly become popular with airlines across the globe. The idea of a 1 percent saving in fuel costs for the upfront price of some sticky film is one that no airline could ignore",

for the full article have a look here.