Topic: swimming kinematics

Computational biomechanical models have been essential in understanding the interplay between neurons, biomechanics, and physical environments. The salamander Pleurodeles waltl is one important model organism for studying neuromechanics behind amphibious locomotion with regeneration capabilities. However, previous salamander models were either strongly simplified in geometry and physics or relied heavily on artificial parameter tuning without an accurate mapping of experimental data. Here, we present a biomechanical modeling and optimization pipeline grounded in animal data to build a biologic

Most animals are born with a minimal repertoire of behaviors, which is gradually expanded as they grow and adapt to their changing needs, environments, and body morphology. The emergence of new functional capacities is associated with changes in the brain architecture, as new neurons become functional and new connections are formed. How brain maturation orchestrates phenotypic transformations during development is still an open question in behavioral neuroscience. Here, we investigate this question in Danionella cerebrum, a novel vertebrate model whose brain remains small and transparent up to