Research suggests women lose more muscle than men in spaceflight

New research published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggests women lose more muscle than men in a microgravity environment such as spaceflight. The study "represent[s] the longest bed rest study on ...

Long jumpers do better with a spring in their step

Long jumpers and triple jumpers spend hours training to perfect their take-off. But what influences their performance? Scientists have discovered that taking off from a compliant surface (such as a springboard) compared with ...

Why humans choose running over walking

Other than Olympic race walkers, people generally find it more comfortable to run than walk when they start moving at around 2 meters per second – about 4.5 miles per hour.

Frogs' amazing leaps due to springy tendons

Some species of frogs and many other animals are able to jump far beyond what appear to be their capabilities. The trained contestants in the frog-jumping competition in Calaveras County, Calif., come to mind, but even ordinary ...

Short heels make elite sprinters super speedy

What is it about elite sprinters that gives them the edge over non-sprinters in the 100m dash? Stephen Piazza from the Pennsylvania State University publishes his discovery, in The Journal of Experimental Biology, that the ...