We present force plate data on vertical free moments (force couples in the horizontal plane between the foot and the ground) and on transverse force during unloaded walking in different modes and at different speeds (including running) by adults of both sexes and by children, and examine loaded walking by adult males and one boy. Free moments in slow and normal-speed walking are characterised by a lateral peak in the accelerative phase of stance, but the peak during running, and in some cases of fast walking, occurs in the deceleration phase. Free moments are strongly affected by arm fixation in males, but less so in females. The pattern, but not the scale, of free moments is affected by loading position and side, but load magnitude has little effect if the loaded weight is treated as part of the body. Transverse force is more variable than sagittal force. In males, the transverse force curve shows a marked trough at mid-stance, whereas in females this trough is rarely seen. The transverse force of males also differs from that of females in response to arm fixation, showing a local medial inflection at three-quarters of the stance phase that is not present in females. Adults differ from children younger than 9 years in the presence of a very short, medially directed peak following heel-strike. Analysis of the effects of arm fixation and the timing of forces suggests strongly that arm-swing and free moments tend to reinforce each other in balancing trunk torques induced by the lower limbs. Both are of reduced importance in slow walking.
2023 JEB Outstanding Paper Prize shortlist and winner
The JEB Editors are delighted to announce the shortlisted authors for the 2023 JEB Outstanding Paper Prize. Read the winning paper - Tiny spies: mosquito antennae are sensitive sensors for eavesdropping on frog calls - by Hoover Pantoja-Sanchez and Brian Leavell from Ximena Bernal's lab at Purdue University, USA.
JEB Science Communication Workshop for ECRs
If you’re an early-career researcher interested in science communication and are attending the SEB Annual Conference in Prague this summer, come a day early and join the JEB Editors at a sci comm workshop to learn the key writing skills needed to promote your research to a broad audience beyond your peers (1 July at 14.30-17.30). Places are limited to 24 attendees, and applicants should apply through the SEB registration page by 30 April 2024.
Bridging the gap between controlled conditions and natural habitats in understanding behaviour
Novel technologies enable behavioural experiments with non-model species, in naturalistic habitats and with underexplored behaviours. In their Commentary, Scholz and colleagues discuss how to obtain a deeper understanding of the natural ecology and lifestyle of study animals.
Beluga metabolic measures could help save species
To help save animals from extinction, it’s important to understand what each species needs to survive. This led Jason John et al. to measure the metabolic rates of captive belugas to develop a ‘fish calculator’ showing that the whales need to eat ~23 salmon per day.
ECR Workshop on Positive Peer Review
Are you an ECR looking for tips on how to write concise, astute and useful manuscript reviews? If so, join the JEB Editors at a 2-hour JEB-sponsored Workshop on Positive Peer Review at the Canadian Society of Zoologists annual meeting in Moncton on 9 May 2024 at 13.00-15.00. There are 25 spaces for ECRs and selection is first come, first serve. To sign up, check the ECR Workshop box when you register for the CSZ meeting.
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