March 2019 | Biomechanics in the Wild

Runner’s Knee: Knee Pain Isn’t Just for Old People

Don’t knee problems only plague old people or people who have run for a lifetime? I questioned this when, for the seventh time in a row, my knee was hurting only a mile and a half into my run. I’m too young for this! However, a plethora of information suggests that knee pain is perhaps not so uncommon in younger runners and athletes as I thought.

The Shoulder: Super Joint or Super Hazard?

The shoulder joint is one of the most incredible joints in the human body. Humans have been recorded throwing 100+ mph fastballs, pressing nearly 600lbs overhead, and performing incredible gymnastics moves. The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint, and it is by far the most mobile joint in the human body. But this great range of motion comes at the price of being the most unstable joint in the body.

Can we 3D print our own skin?

Can you imagine a world where amputees receive replacement limbs which are able to detect temperature and pressure like an actual limb? How about a world where when you get a cut, you can 3D print some of your own skin to patch the wound?

3-D Print a New Leg for Your 4-Legged Friend

3-D printing is a quite exciting technology that has come to light in recent years. The process involves a nozzle much like in a regular inkjet printer that layers material upon material to build up a 3D structure. The printer receives this data from a computer designed file that maps out where the printer should add material. Combine this with filler material that serves to hold everything in its final upright position, and the final product is born, after setting and clearing off the filler. This process has been used to make many different things, from simple objects like phone cases and luggage tags to complex scaffolds used to hold cells for tissue engineering, or as in this post, specific implants for dogs and other animals. The usual types of orthopedic implants that have somewhat of a cookie cutter size distribution for humans do not always fit in dogs or other animals. So, 3-D printing has been employed to create implants used to repair and replace bones in veterinary situations.

How to Shine at Karaoke and Master the Art of Singing

Are you tired of going to karaoke with your friends and not being able to master those high notes like singers Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey? While this blog post cannot promise the high quality of those amazing singers, it will demonstrate how through practice you can master the art of singing. To master singing you must first understand the biology and mechanics of your singing voice, so you can learn how to manipulate both to your benefit. This can extend to vocal production and communication studies, but the focus will be singing.

What’s more important for athletes: training or genetics?

Usain Bolt, Michael Jordan, and Wayne Gretzky are arguably some of the greatest athletes of all time. You watch them on the television breaking record, winning titles or making impossible shots, and you can’t help to wonder, how are they that good? Do they use some secret training method, maybe even a special diet? Possibly, they are genetically gifted?

Cause and Management of Stretch Marks

Stretch marks. How are they caused? Can they even be treated?

Stretch marks can happen to anyone, of any age, so these questions are important to many. In short, our skin is made up of both collagen and elastin, two elements that support and shape our skin through their natural elasticity. This elasticity, however, does have its limits. And when that breaking point is reached, the collagen and elastin rupture, leaving behind scars many know well – a stretch mark.

The Study of Snoring is Anything but Boring

Here we take a deeper look about that noise that plagues some of our family members, our roommates…or even ourselves!

The Ship of Pearl – Jet Propulsion in the Chambered Nautilus

In the aptly titled poem The Chambered Nautilus, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. praises the eponymous cephalopod for its elegant shape and vibrant colors. The ship of pearl, as Wendell calls it, might not be the swiftest vessel; but Thomas R. Neil and Graham N. Askew’s research indicates that the chambered nautilus might be among the most energy efficient ships in the seven seas.

Will Removing Headgear Make Boxing Safer?

Our brains are made of a very soft material but luckily our skulls provide the brain protection from the outside world. However, during violent movements the brain is free to move inside the skull and collide with the skull. This impact can cause injury to the brain, known as a concussion, that can lead to various symptoms depending on severity.

Month: March 2019