My brother just sent me the Spring 2012 issue of the Temple University magazine, a quarterly publication the university sends to alumni and donors.  The cover story features the biomechanics research of Dr. Tonia Hsieh and describes the various animal taxa her lab uses to ask questions about animal locomotion in challenging environments. This work, also featured in a January article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, has a wide variety of potential applications ranging from the development of nimble robots to suggestions for how to prevent slips and falls among the elderly.

The article and some accompanying online material are a quick, interesting read and contain some great images and videos.  Although other taxa get all the glamor shots, the article does describe how a lab colony of Anolis carolinensis is used study how animals recover and maintain their balance when navigating slippery surfaces.

 

Anthony J Geneva
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