How fast does an octopus typically run in an exercise wheel? That has yet to be determined. But one value is reported in the study: “Cutaneous Respiration in Octopus Vulgaris,” J.J. Madan and M.J. Wells, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 199, pp. 2477–2483 (1996). The authors, at the University of Cambridge, UK, explain, citing two […]
Tag: Physiology
Interdisciplinary film preview: Hersteria (and Watch)
The new film Hersteria evidently intermingles strands from a number of scientific disciplines: electromagnetism, physiology, and more. Even sex. It is said to be based on incidents from the history of science and technology, including the invention of certain forms of the device known as a vibrator. Here’s a preview: Meanwhile, an old film tells the […]
Tongue-Strengthening Exercises for Rats
Investigator Ben Broughton writes: “I came across this paper while looking to settle an argument about whether muscles need hinges to produce significant power. The researchers fabricated an apparatus to measure the force of a rat’s tongue. The paper explains that with training, a young rat can increase the force its tongue can produce by 250%, […]
On Contagious Yawning in the Red-Footed Tortoise
Scientists know a bit more about contagious yawning – one of science’s utter mysteries – than they did a year ago, thanks to a study called No Evidence of Contagious Yawning in the Red-Footed Tortoise,Geochelone carbonaria. The study’s authors say their experiments, conducted with seven tortoises, might help eliminate some of the many competing theories as […]