Toad Research Could Leapfrog To New Muscle Model
Monday, June 2, 2008 - 22:14
in Health & Medicine
The deceptively simple, remarkably fast feeding action of toads and chameleons offers a new look at how muscles work. This fresh perspective could lead to designing more efficient electric motors, better prostheses and new medical treatments for neuromuscular diseases like Parkinson's. Science has long held that muscles behave largely like motors. Northern Arizona University researcher Kiisa Nishikawa suggests that muscle acts more like a spring.