In the wild, survival requires extraordinary movements, but none are as impressive as snakes’ ability to lift themselves vertically into the air.

With no bones or limbs to support, these animals manage to stand upright like living poles.

A recent study in Royal Society Publishing has analyzed how their muscles work in sync to defy gravity, paving the way for technology new in robotics.

Many snake species are able to lift themselves off the ground, often as a prelude to attack, but arboreal snakes specialize in this seemingly unnatural movement.

They must stand upright to move from branch to branch, sometimes holding up to 70 percent of their body vertically.

The research team, made up of anatomy specialists, mathematics and physics, focused on two specific species: the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) and the amethyst python (Simalia amethistina).

The researchers built platforms in the lab that mimicked tree branches and used ultra-high-definition cameras to observe every muscle movement.

The discovery was surprising, since before this study it was thought that the most efficient way to get up was to stiffen the whole thing. of the body.

In reality, snakes focus their stiffness only on a specific region of the body that serves as a base for lifting, where all the muscle strength is concentrated in that single part to keep the rest of the body upright.

This requires not only strength, but also considerable proprioception, that is, the ability to perceive one’s position in space even without the use of vision, a fact that is proven by their ability to lift themselves even in complete darkness.

This study not only reveals a biological secret, but according to the authors, it may also have practical applications in the creation of robots that NASA is building for further exploration of the Moon. /tesheshi.com/

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Source: prizrenpost