daVinci bridge

How do bird nests stay together?

Apr 2025

The concept of constructing a self-supporting structure made of rods — without the use of nails, ropes, or glue — dates back to Leonardo da Vinci. In the Codex Atlanticus, da Vinci illustrated a design for a self-supporting bridge across a river, which can be easily demonstrated using toothpicks, matches, or chopsticks. However, this design is fragile — pulling one of the rods or pushing the bridge from below can cause it to collapse.

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