video: Movements of the gears during a restrained jump by a nymph fixed on its back in Plasticene are shown. Images were captured at a rate of 5,000 images s-1 and with an exposure time of 0.03 ms and are replayed at 30 frames s-1. The hind legs pushed against the flexible hairs of a small paint brush that slowed the velocity of their propulsive movements. This video relates to a paper that appeared in the 13 Sept., 2013, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by Malcolm Burrows at University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK, and colleagues was titled, "Interacting Gears Synchronize Propulsive Leg Movements in a Jumping Insect." view more
Credit: [Video courtesy of Malcolm Burrows]