… And an aphid in a peach tree!

12: Drummers Drumming (in the right chairs) On top of high levels of concentration, musical performance places significant physical stress on the body. Strength in limb muscles needed for fast complex movements, while core muscles handle the task of sustaining body position for extended durations. It is therefore no wonder that musical performance-associated musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a common medical issue among professional musicians, with some studies indicating that around 80% – 97% of orchestral musicians suffer from muscle pain related to musical performance. With MSDs presenting such a big threat to musicians’ professional activity, avoiding causes like faults in upper body posture are highly important. A methodology published in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology suggests a way of analyzing the instrument specific posture and pressure distribution during seating to give musicians an indication of the right music chair to use. 11: Pipefish piping Image taken from article Closely related to seahorses and seadragons, pipefish belong to the fish family Syngnathidae which date back around 50 million years. The species in this family possess a host of unusual features: elongated snouts for suction like feeding, bony armor, and brood pouches on males. These unique body plans make them fascinating models for researchers exploring how these features develop. In a huge step forward in this research area, scientists at the University of Oregon ...
Source: BioMed Central Blog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Biology Health Medicine Avian Research BMC Ecology Frontiers in Zoology Genetics Selection Evolution Genome Biology Health Research Policy and Systems ISRCTN registry Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology Lipids in Health a Source Type: blogs