News & Views |
Featured
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Article |
Machine learning reveals the control mechanics of an insect wing hinge
Measurements of fly muscle activity using a genetically encoded calcium indicator and high-speed imaging of wing movement were used to construct a model of the insect wing hinge and the role of steering muscles in flight control.
- Johan M. Melis
- , Igor Siwanowicz
- & Michael H. Dickinson
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News & Views |
The 50th anniversary of a key paper on how bird flight evolved
For a century, scientists pondered whether bird flight evolved by animals gliding down from trees or by creatures running and flapping from the ground up. A landmark 1974 paper reset the debate to focus on the evolution of the flight stroke instead.
- Kevin Padian
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Article |
Evolutionary novelties underlie sound production in baleen whales
Studies of vocal production in baleen whales show that their larynx has evolved unique structures that enable their low-frequency vocalizations but limit their active communication range.
- Coen P. H. Elemans
- , Weili Jiang
- & W. Tecumseh Fitch
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Article
| Open Access
Bridging two insect flight modes in evolution, physiology and robophysics
Asynchronous flight in all major groups of insects likely arose from a single common ancestor with reversions to a synchronous flight mode enabled by shifts back and forth between different regimes in the same set of dynamic parameters.
- Jeff Gau
- , James Lynch
- & Simon Sponberg
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News |
Short arms and lanky legs: the genetic basis of walking on two legs
Genome-wide map reveals regions associated with skeletal changes that enabled humans to walk upright.
- Dyani Lewis
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Nature Video |
‘Artificial embryos’: the hidden steps in forming a spine
New models called axioloids offer insight into development of vertebrae in humans.
- Dan Fox
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News & Views |
Embrace wobble to level flight without a horizon
The apparent motion of a flier’s surroundings is shown to stabilize its flight by providing information about its orientation. Lapses in information are overcome through the effects of sensor noise and body oscillations.
- Graham K. Taylor
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Nature Video |
The shape-shifting robo-turtle
New amphibious soft robot makes efficiency games with morphing limbs
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Nature Video |
Exoskeleton boots could power your walk by learning your stride
New design uses model based on lab data to adapt for wearers while in use.
- Dan Fox
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Nature Index |
Insects offer inspiration for robot advances
Invertebrates offer solutions to building microbots the size of a fly.
- Neil Savage
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Article |
Galeaspid anatomy and the origin of vertebrate paired appendages
Articulated remains of Tujiaaspis vividus reveal that galeaspids—extinct jawless vertebrates—had precursors to paired pectoral fins that consisted of paired, continuous pectoral–pelvic lateral fins that passively generated lift.
- Zhikun Gai
- , Qiang Li
- & Min Zhu
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Article
| Open Access
Optimization of avian perching manoeuvres
To perch safely, large birds minimize the distance flown after stalling when swooping up from a dive to a perch, but not the time or energy required.
- Marco KleinHeerenbrink
- , Lydia A. France
- & Graham K. Taylor
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News |
Flying salamanders, falling lifespans — the week in infographics
Nature highlights three key graphics from the week in science and research.
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News & Views |
How wingless salamanders fly
From frogs remaining airborne using their webbed feet to lizards and snakes gliding by expanding their ribcages, biologists might have thought they had seen every unusual aerial strategy — but now they report flying salamanders.
- David Lentink
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News |
Exotic nuclei, record-breaking robot — the week in infographics
Nature highlights three key graphics from the week in science and research.
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News & Views |
Jumping robot bests biology by enhancing stored energy
A robotic jumper combines inspiration from biology with clever engineering to reach new heights. Crucial to the design is the combination of a rotary motor with a hybrid spring that maximizes stored energy density.
- Sarah Bergbreiter
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Matters Arising |
Models of flow through sponges must consider the sponge tissue
- Sally P. Leys
- , Eugueni Matveev
- & Gitai Yahel
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News & Views |
Trade-offs between stability and manoeuvrability in bird flight
An understanding of how wing shape affects a bird’s agility requires parameters relating mass and geometry to aerodynamic performance. Analysis of one aspect of flight, inertial characteristics, fills a gap in our knowledge.
- Aimy Wissa
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Article
| Open Access
Birds can transition between stable and unstable states via wing morphing
Analysis of inertial characteristics across 22 bird species shows that evolution has selected for avian manoeuvrability using both stable and unstable flight dynamics.
- C. Harvey
- , V. B. Baliga
- & D. J. Inman
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News Feature |
Why sports concussions are worse for women
As women’s soccer, rugby and other sports gain popularity, scientists are racing to understand how the female brain responds to head injury.
- Katharine Sanderson
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News & Views |
Fluid flow through a deep-sea sponge could inspire engineering designs
Sophisticated numerical simulations reveal that the beautiful structure of a sponge known as Venus’s flower basket reduces hydrodynamic drag, and probably aids the capture of food particles, as well as sperm for sexual reproduction.
- Laura A. Miller
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Article |
Functional adaptive landscapes predict terrestrial capacity at the origin of limbs
Analysis of humeri from fossils that span the fin-to-limb transition reveal that the change in the humerus shape is driven by both ecology and phylogeny, and is associated with functional trade-offs related to locomotor performance.
- Blake V. Dickson
- , Jennifer A. Clack
- & Stephanie E. Pierce
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News & Views |
How cancer invasion takes shape
Skin cancers resulting from distinct mutations have characteristic tissue forms and different disease outcomes. Analysing the architecture of benign and aggressive tumours reveals how mechanical forces drive these patterns.
- Karolina Punovuori
- & Sara A. Wickström
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Nature Video |
How flying snakes stay stable while gliding through the air
Motion capture cameras show that winding from side to side helps snakes glide further.
- Shamini Bundell
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Jaw roll and jaw yaw in early mammals
- Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar
- , Armita R. Manafzadeh
- & Alfred W. Crompton
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Article |
Revealing enigmatic mucus structures in the deep sea using DeepPIV
Advanced deep-sea imaging tools yield insights into the structure and function of mucus filtration houses built by midwater giant larvaceans.
- Kakani Katija
- , Giancarlo Troni
- & Bruce H. Robison
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News & Views |
Ahead of the curve in the evolution of human feet
The longitudinal arch has long been considered a crucial structure that provides stiffness to the human foot. Now the transverse arch is stepping into the spotlight, with a proposed central role in the evolution of human foot stiffness.
- Glen A. Lichtwark
- & Luke A. Kelly
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Article |
Stiffness of the human foot and evolution of the transverse arch
The transverse tarsal arch, acting through the inter-metatarsal tissues, is important for the longitudinal stiffness of the foot and its appearance is a key step in the evolution of human bipedalism.
- Madhusudhan Venkadesan
- , Ali Yawar
- & Shreyas Mandre
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News & Views |
Fossil ape hints at how walking on two feet evolved
Approximately 11.6-million-year-old fossils reveal an ape with arms suited to hanging in trees but human-like legs, suggesting a form of locomotion that might push back the timeline for when walking on two feet evolved.
- Tracy L. Kivell
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News & Views |
Getting to grips with how birds land stably on complex surfaces
Tree-dwelling birds can land on perches that vary in size and texture. Force measurements and video-footage analysis now reveal that birds rely on rapid and robust adjustments of their toe pads and claws to land stably.
- Andrew A. Biewener
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News & Views |
Genetics and mechanics combine to guide the embryonic gut
An analysis of gut formation in the fruit fly has revealed how gene expression and mechanical forces are coordinated in adjacent populations of cells. The findings highlight the tissue-level control of embryonic development.
- Kristen A. Panfilio
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News & Views |
Cell communication in the blink of an eye
The bodies of unicellular organisms called protists can contract extremely fast. Analysis reveals that the flow of surrounding fluid during contraction triggers a chain reaction of contraction of neighbouring protists.
- Pavel Tomancak
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Editorial |
Why calloused bare feet are a better fit than cushioned shoes
The hardened soles of those who live barefoot are still sensitive to what’s underneath.
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News & Views |
Walking on your sensitive sole
Thick foot calluses develop naturally when walking barefoot. It emerges that they preserve foot sensitivity while offering protection, thus avoiding the trade-off between the two that occurs with cushioned shoes.
- Kristiaan D’Août
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: Egg pigmentation probably has an Archosaurian origin
- Jasmina Wiemann
- , Tzu-Ruei Yang
- & Mark A. Norell
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Letter |
Rolling of the jaw is essential for mammalian chewing and tribosphenic molar function
The ancestral tribosphenic therian chewing stroke is conserved in Monodelphis domestica, and couples tooth-row eversion and inversion in jaw opening and closing, respectively, with a rotational grinding stroke.
- Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar
- , Armita R. Manafzadeh
- & Alfred W. Crompton
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Letter |
Reverse-engineering the locomotion of a stem amniote
Quantitative explorations using biomechanics and robotics of the gait of Orobates, a stem amniote, indicate that the development of relatively erect, power-saving and balanced locomotion preceded the diversification of crown amniotes
- John A. Nyakatura
- , Kamilo Melo
- & Auke J. Ijspeert
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Letter |
Remarkable muscles, remarkable locomotion in desert-dwelling wildebeest
Wildebeest, particularly during their long migrations under hot arid conditions, gain a considerable increase in range as a result of having highly efficient muscles.
- Nancy A. Curtin
- , Hattie L. A. Bartlam-Brooks
- & Alan M. Wilson
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Letter |
The role of miniaturization in the evolution of the mammalian jaw and middle ear
Biomechanical analyses of mammaliaform and cynodont fossils demonstrate that miniaturization drove the evolutionary transformation of the mammalian jaw, which preceded the optimization of bite force-to-joint load in the mandible
- Stephan Lautenschlager
- , Pamela G. Gill
- & Emily J. Rayfield
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Research Highlight |
Why spit is key to building a butterfly
The final touches to the insects’ proboscises depend on a column of saliva.
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News |
Crushed wood is stronger than steel
Compressing the material and removing some of its polymers can increase its strength tenfold.
- Mark Zastrow
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News & Views |
Evolutionary race as predators hunt prey
Remote-sensing data for wild animals such as lions reveal that predators and prey optimize manoeuvrability rather than speed during the hunt.
- Andrew A. Biewener
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Research Highlight |
Fetal kicks do more than make Mum jump
Movements in utero help to build a strong skeleton.
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Nature Video |
Anatomy of a hunt: Speed, strategy and survival
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Article |
Biomechanics of predator–prey arms race in lion, zebra, cheetah and impala
Analysis and modelling of locomotor characteristics of two pursuit predator–prey pairs show that hunts at lower speeds enable prey to use their maximum manoeuvring capacity and favour prey survival.
- Alan M. Wilson
- , Tatjana Y. Hubel
- & Timothy G. West
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Toolbox |
The research hardware in your video-game system
Motion sensors don’t just drive gameplay. With the right software, they can scan dinosaur skulls, monitor glaciers and help robots to see.
- Anna Nowogrodzki
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News |
High-jumping beetle inspires agile robots
Machines could get themselves out of a sticky spot, thanks to an insect that can right itself without using its legs.
- Alexandra Witze
An exploration of how the insect-wing hinge functions
Jaw roll and jaw yaw in early mammals