locomotion
- Scaling of swimming performance in baleen whales
Highlighted Article: Motion-sensing tags attached to baleen whales paired with unoccupied aerial system (drone) imagery demonstrate that while oscillatory stroking frequency decreases with size, absolute swimming speed remains consistent over an order of magnitude body mass range.
- Lower extremity joints and muscle groups in the human locomotor system alter mechanical functions to meet task demand
Summary: Joints and muscle groups in the human locomotor system alter their mechanical function to meet demands of the locomotor task being performed.
- Jumping and take-off in a winged scorpion fly (Mecoptera, Panorpa communis)
Summary: High-speed video analysis of jumping in a species of scorpion fly shows that it uses the middle and hind legs for propulsion. Accompanying movements of the wings contribute little to take-off.
- Feedback to the future: motor neuron contributions to central pattern generator function
Summary: Motor neurons relay signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles that perform behaviors. However, studies across phyla indicate that motor neurons also contribute to the function of pattern-generating circuits.
- Beyond power amplification: latch-mediated spring actuation is an emerging framework for the study of diverse elastic systems
Summary: A framework centered on the dynamic interactions of springs and latches enables clear, comparable measurements and productive interdisciplinary pathways for biological analysis and engineering design.
- Cockroaches use diverse strategies to self-right on the ground
Summary: Comparative study of cockroach self-righting reveals performance advantages of using rotational kinetic energy to overcome the potential energy barrier and rolling more to lower it while maintaining diverse strategies.
- Adhesive latching and legless leaping in small, worm-like insect larvae
Highlighted Article: Legless insect larvae jump long distances by curling into a loop, forming a transient leg through hydrostatic pressurization, and releasing a latch formed by finger-like microstructures.
- Straight arm walking, bent arm running: gait-specific elbow angles
Highlighted Article: The stereotyped difference in elbow angle between walking and running in humans is linked to a mechanical tradeoff between shoulder and elbow muscle torque.
- Goats decrease hindlimb stiffness when walking over compliant surfaces
Summary: Evidence that goats adjust the stiffness of their hindlimbs when walking on hard and soft surfaces, shedding light on their ability to thrive in variable environments.
- Phenotypic plasticity in locomotor performance of a monophyletic group of weevils accords with the ‘warmer is better’ hypothesis
Summary: Among nine weevil populations representing five species from the sub-Antarctic, acclimation responses of locomotion thermal performance curves typically accord with the warmer is better (or thermodynamic effects) hypothesis.