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Systematic underestimation of human hand weight
Curr Biol. 2023 Jul 24;33(14):R758-R759. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.041.ABSTRACTAccording to Newton's laws, the weight of a body part is equal to its mass times gravitational acceleration. Our experience of body part weight, however, is constructed by the central nervous system. No sensory receptors directly specify the weight of body parts, and the factors influencing perceived weight remain unknown. The perceived weight of held objects has been linked to sensations of the magnitude of central motor commands sent to the muscles, what Helmholtz called the effort of will and has subsequently been called the sense of effort1...
Source: Current Biology - July 25, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Elisa R Ferr è Jonathan Joel Denise Cadete Matthew R Longo Source Type: research

Transforming a neural circuit to function without oxygen and glucose delivery
Curr Biol. 2021 Dec 20;31(24):R1564-R1565. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.003.ABSTRACTDisruptions in the delivery of oxygen and glucose impair the function of neural circuits, with lethal consequences commonly observed in stroke and cardiac arrest. Intense focus has been placed on understanding how to overcome neuronal failure during energy stress. Important insights into neuroprotective strategies have come from studies of evolutionary adaptations for survival in hypoxic environments, such as those seen in turtles, naked mole-rats, and several other animals1. Amphibians are not usually numbered among 'champion' hypoxia-tolera...
Source: Current Biology - December 21, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Nikolaus Bueschke Lara do Amaral-Silva Sasha Adams Joseph M Santin Source Type: research

Geckos Race Across the Water's Surface Using Multiple Mechanisms.
Abstract Acrobatic geckos can sprint at high speeds over challenging terrain [1], scamper up the smoothest surfaces [2], rapidly swing underneath leaves [3], and right themselves in midair by swinging only their tails [4, 5]. From our field observations, we can add racing on the water's surface to the gecko's list of agile feats. Locomotion at the air-water interface evolved in over a thousand species, including insects, fish, reptiles, and mammals [6]. To support their weight, some larger-legged vertebrates use forces generated by vigorous slapping of the fluid's surface followed by a stroke of their appendage [...
Source: Current Biology - December 3, 2018 Category: Biology Authors: Nirody JA, Jinn J, Libby T, Lee TJ, Jusufi A, Hu DL, Full RJ Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

Tread-water feeding of Bryde's whales.
This study describes the head-lifting feeding by Bryde's whales, which is distinct from the typical lunge feeding of rorqual whales. Whales showing this behavior were observed on 58 occasions, involving 31 whales and including eight adult-calf pairs. Whales caught their prey using a series of coordinated movements: (i) lifting the head above the water with a closed mouth, (ii) opening the mouth until the lower jaw contacted the sea surface, which created a current of water flowing into the mouth, (iii) holding their position for several seconds, (iv) waiting for the prey to enter the mouth, and (v) closing the mouth and en...
Source: Current Biology - November 6, 2017 Category: Biology Authors: Iwata T, Akamatsu T, Thongsukdee S, Cherdsukjai P, Adulyanukosol K, Sato K Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Facilitates Associative Learning and Alters Functional Connectivity in the Primate Brain.
Abstract There has been growing interest in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive technique purported to modulate neural activity via weak, externally applied electric fields. Although some promising preliminary data have been reported for applications ranging from stroke rehabilitation to cognitive enhancement, little is known about how tDCS affects the human brain, and some studies have concluded that it may have no effect at all. Here, we describe a macaque model of tDCS that allows us to simultaneously examine the effects of tDCS on brain activity and behavior. We find that applying tD...
Source: Current Biology - October 11, 2017 Category: Biology Authors: Krause MR, Zanos TP, Csorba BA, Pilly PK, Choe J, Phillips ME, Datta A, Pack CC Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

A hydrodynamically active flipper-stroke in humpback whales.
Abstract A central paradigm of aquatic locomotion is that cetaceans use fluke strokes to power their swimming while relying on lift and torque generated by the flippers to perform maneuvers such as rolls, pitch changes and turns [1]. Compared to other cetaceans, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have disproportionately large flippers with added structural features to aid in hydrodynamic performance [2,3]. Humpbacks use acrobatic lunging maneuvers to attack dense aggregations of krill or small fish, and their large flippers are thought to increase their maneuverability and thus their ability to capture prey....
Source: Current Biology - July 10, 2017 Category: Biology Authors: Segre PS, Seakamela SM, Meÿer MA, Findlay KP, Goldbogen JA Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

CCM-3 Promotes C.  elegans Germline Development by Regulating Vesicle Trafficking Cytokinesis and Polarity.
CCM-3 Promotes C. elegans Germline Development by Regulating Vesicle Trafficking Cytokinesis and Polarity. Curr Biol. 2017 Mar 08;: Authors: Pal S, Lant B, Yu B, Tian R, Tong J, Krieger JR, Moran MF, Gingras AC, Derry WB Abstract Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are vascular defects of the CNS that arise from loss of integrity of the endothelial cells lining blood capillaries, causing leakage of blood into the brain [1]. This results in headaches, seizures, and/or hemorrhagic stroke, depending on the location of the lesion. CCM affects 0.5% of the population and follows an autosomal dominant ...
Source: Current Biology - March 7, 2017 Category: Biology Authors: Pal S, Lant B, Yu B, Tian R, Tong J, Krieger JR, Moran MF, Gingras AC, Derry WB Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

Deciphering the Role of a Coleopteran Steering Muscle via Free Flight Stimulation.
Abstract Testing hypotheses of neuromuscular function during locomotion ideally requires the ability to record cellular responses and to stimulate the cells being investigated to observe downstream behaviors [1]. The inability to stimulate in free flight has been a long-standing hurdle for insect flight studies. The miniaturization of computation and communication technologies has delivered ultra-small, radio-enabled neuromuscular recorders and stimulators for untethered insects [2-8]. Published stimulation targets include the areas in brain potentially responsible for pattern generation in locomotion [5], the ner...
Source: Current Biology - March 16, 2015 Category: Biology Authors: Sato H, Vo Doan TT, Kolev S, Huynh NA, Zhang C, Massey TL, van Kleef J, Ikeda K, Abbeel P, Maharbiz MM Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

Rapid Experience-Dependent Plasticity following Somatosensory Damage.
Abstract Studies in nonhuman primates have provided evidence of rapid neural reorganization in somatosensory cortex after brain damage [1] and amputation [2]. Furthermore, there is also evidence of experience-dependent plasticity in both human [3-5] and nonhuman primates [6] that is induced by repetitive tactile stimulation. Given the evidence of plasticity subsequent to both neural damage and tactile experience, we hypothesized that somatosensory damage could lead to increased levels of experience-dependent tactile plasticity. To examine this hypothesis, the tactile localization judgments of two individuals wit...
Source: Current Biology - March 4, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Medina J, Rapp B Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research