How insects activate muscles to adapt to limbs removed

Adaptability explains why insects spread so widely and why they are the most abundant animal group on earth. Insects exhibit resilient and flexible locomotion, even with drastic changes in their body structure such as losing ...

Single gene has major impact on gaits in horses and in mice

Researchers at Uppsala University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and their international collaborators have discovered a mutation in a single gene in horses that is critical for the ability to perform ambling ...

Tendons absorb shocks muscles won't handle

Anyone who has hiked down a mountain knows the soreness that comes a day or two after means the leg muscles have endured a serious workout. While the pain is real, it's not well understood how leg muscles cope with the force ...

Elephants move like 4x4s: scientists

Elephants' legs work like a four-wheel drive vehicle, making them probably unique in the animal kingdom, scientists said Tuesday.