because biomechanics is everywhere!
Cell therapies are a new hot topic in the field of medicine, as they hold immense potential to cure various types of cancers by using a genetically modified cell from the patient to attack cancer cells in the body. This requires proper activation of the immune cell as well as a successful ability to bind to the cancer cell antigens.
Continue reading “The Squish Factor Matters: How Cell Mechanics Impacts Immune Therapy Outcomes”
Arthropod evolution is amongst some of the most dynamic processes in biological history, with the exoskeleton constantly developing in entirely unique directions to serve the survivability of the specific host animal. The Pistol Shrimp exhibits one of the most creative evolutionary characteristics: the development of a primary claw with a unique geometry that utilizes the laws of fluid mechanics to develop a shockwave-inducing weapon. Unlike many other arthropods, who have developed exoskeletal properties for defensive purposes, the Pistol Shrimp is a highly aggressive animal that uses its appendage to hunt prey. Analysis of the biomechanical design of this creature will not only provide greater insight into the capacity of natural evolution but will also better inform the design of industrial machinery that functions very similarly to the Pistol Shrimp claw.
Continue reading “Nature’s Second Amendment Right: The Functional Analysis of the Pistol Shrimp Claw”Immune Dysfunction Due to Cytokine Production in a Microgravity Environment
If a loved one told you that they are going to get the opportunity to go to the international space station, what immediate concerns would you have? Their safety and health would probably be the first two things that come to mind. Many people know that astronauts have to be in peak physical condition to go to space, and still when they come back to Earth astronauts can be weaker due to muscle and bone loss. What many people may be surprised to learn is that traveling to space and being exposed to microgravity can also affect their immune system.
Continue reading “Communication is Hard, Especially in Space!”
In the world of engineering, the optimization of prosthetics and robotics is at the forefront of research. However, many designs are faced with the same problem – poor stability, especially when it comes to rough or sloped surfaces. This prevents amputees from being able to enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and rock climbing, and traversing robots from being able to perform complex search and rescue. So, researchers have gotten creative and have decided to look into nature. Naturally, mountain goats became a prime source of inspiration due to their ability to seemingly defy gravity when scaling mountain tops. How do they do this? To answer this question, plenty of research has been conducted to look into things like goat anatomy, joint angles, centers of mass, ground reaction forces, and more.
Read more: How Goats Defy Gravity and How it Has Inspired Engineers Continue reading “How Goats Defy Gravity and How it Has Inspired Engineers”Ancient records and relics suggest that upright birthing positions, such as kneeling, squatting, sitting, and standing, were the predominant method of childbirth throughout human history. Moreover, a 1961 study found that only 14 of 76 existing traditional cultures assumed dorsal positions during childbirth. However, upright childbirth was largely abandoned in the West during the medicalization of labor and delivery between the 14th and 16th centuries. The shift from upright to horizontal birthing norms is largely attributed to the French physician François Mauriceau. In his book, The Diseases of Women with Child and in Child-Bed, he advocated for the semi-recumbent birthing position, whereby the laboring mother lays on her back with her head and shoulders slightly raised (Dundes, 1987). Today, this standard is generally undisputed among physicians and expectant mothers in Western nations. However, experts argue that this norm is largely rooted in interventional convenience and is perpetuated by modern technologies such as continuous monitors and anesthetics, which constrain movement. Here, an examination of clinical and biomechanical data sheds light on the complexities surrounding this topic.
Continue reading “Biomechanical and Historical Insights into Birthing Position”How do squirrels escape dogs, scavenge for food, and climb their way around trees? The answer is simple: squirrel parkour. With precise calculations and the physical ability to maneuver and adjust, squirrels can effortlessly leap from tree branch to tree branch without falling.
A study done by Nathaniel Hunt et al. tested squirrels on different activities where gap distance, flexibility of the launching bar, and gap height were varied. The squirrels were observed, and results showed a consistent trade-off scenario between branch flexibility and leap distance. When on high-flexibility branches, squirrels jumped closer to the branch connection point. This led to large gap lengths, up to three times the squirrel’s body length. The opposite was true for low-flexibility branches. Squirrels are able to determine branch flexibility and what launch point is necessary for them to safely make leaps to neighboring branches.
In terms of safety, throughout the course of the experiments, the researchers observed that not a single squirrel fell. They were able to successfully adjust to varying branch flexibility, height, and leap distance. The squirrels were able to accomplish this feature by performing a “parkour” move. The squirrels jumped off the branch toward a nearby wall and sprang off of it before landing. The squirrels utilized this parkour move to adjust their landing speeds. Not only does this demonstrate the adaptability of squirrels, but also their ability to adjust their bodies while jumping.
An important concept to consider when looking at mechanics of squirrels jumping is the force and speed at which they take off. Grégoire Boulinguez-Ambroise et al. completed a study to examine the effects of different branch sizes on squirrel take-off velocity and the displacement of their center of mass. Results showed that there was a difference between squirrels jumping upwards off of a flat plate, and off of a branchlike object. When jumping off the branchlike poles, squirrels prioritized shifting their center of mass to jump, whereas on the flat plates, priority was given to the produced force. These results imply that while on branches, squirrels try to maximize balance before jumping. This intuitively makes sense as you would want to be as balanced as you could before making a leap!
Interesting results, shown in Figure 1, showed that squirrels jumped the highest while jumping from the smaller diameter branch, and jumped the lowest when jumping from flat ground. Putting this together with the previously mentioned idea of squirrels shifting their center of mass, squirrels are able to adjust their approach to jumping depending on branch sizes.
Based on the size of the branch, squirrels have to adjust their feet position. For smaller branches, squirrels must place the middle of their feet closer to the sides of the branch. Figure 2 shows the forces acting between the feet and the branch. Varying branch sizes will change the angles and size of the forces, and the squirrel will have to adjust accordingly. In the study mentioned above, results showed that the feet placement on the varying diameter sizes did not have a significant impact on the measured take-off velocity. This implies how squirrels can adjust to different sized branches and still maintain high quality jumping performance.
Diving into how squirrels jump, they use their hind limbs to push themselves off of an object. Richard Essner completed a study on squirrel launch kinematics. Results showed that for leaping, squirrels act as small-bodied primates and rely less on their knees than their ankles. Squirrels also use their tails to help with balance.
While squirrels may seem like cute animals who only care about adding to their nut collection, there is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to their movement between and through trees. The nature of squirrels to be able to apply the parkour move, change foot placement, determine the flexibility of branches, and adjust take-off velocity depending on each individual branch they leap from are just a few of the amazing features that squirrels can accomplish.
Feature image from Pixabay.
Typically, the joys of childhood that adults reminisce about include carefree playing, running, and jumping—not cancer. Despite this, childhood cancer affects nearly 10,000 children in the U.S. every year, and of these cases, about 500 (2 percent) involve osteosarcoma. Rotationplasty is a surgery that can give childhood osteosarcoma survivors requiring amputation the best chance of running and jumping again, just like before.
Read more: Your ankle could replace your knee! – How Rotationplasty gives ankles new function. Continue reading “Your ankle could replace your knee! – How Rotationplasty gives ankles new function.”About 30% of women worldwide experience Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD), the failure of the pelvic floor muscles. PFD is often caused by childbirth and pregnancy, and it significantly impacts the quality of life for many women, highlighting the need for scientific solutions.
Continue reading “New Hope for Pelvic Floor Health: Models and Scaffolds”How do pressure profiles and shear stresses in prosthetic sockets affect prosthesis user comfort? For prosthesis users, comfort is essential for mobility, quality of life, and long-term health. The fit and alignment of a prosthesis are highly individualized and crucial for instilling confidence in daily activities. However, current prosthesis fittings are largely subjective, depending on the prosthetist’s experience and user feedback. This qualitative method often overlooks the critical factor of pressure distribution within the socket, which can significantly impact pain levels and ease of movement.
Read more: Balancing the Load: Understanding Pressure Distribution in Prosthetic Sockets Continue reading “Balancing the Load: Understanding Pressure Distribution in Prosthetic Sockets”Recently, a few studies(Inal et al. and Osailan) have been conducted on young people and adults regarding their pinch grip and hand grip strength. Shockingly those studies show that people who spend a long time using smartphones show very poor performance in their pinch and hand grip. We know our thumb is the finger used mostly for operating smartphones. It is also the most significant finger for any grip as well. Is it possible that the thumb is damaged permanently by overuse of a smartphone or is it just a correlation, not a causation?
Continue reading “Can Smartphone Overuse Permanently Damage Thumb Function?”
