Uploaded September 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Birds have a well-known mechanism that allows coordinated flexion and extension of the elbow and wrist. It's remarkable because it's basically automatic and energetically very efficient, drawing on the conformation of the bones, ligaments, and tendons more than active muscle contraction. Notice how extension automatically puts the wing in flight position, whereas flexion automatically folds it away. Very cool! Here Emily Caggiano, an Ohio University Honors Tutorial College undergrad working in WitmerLab, demonstrates the mechanism with the isolated wing of a Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis). Check out the whole Dissecting with Emily series with this playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0K9wSdRtLIat051zcg3i_nhokGCA6Pr. For more videos like this, check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/witmerlab) or our university page (https://www.ohio.edu/witmerlab).
Birds have a well-known mechanism that allows coordinated flexion and extension of the elbow and wrist. It's remarkable because it's basically automatic and energetically very efficient, drawing on the conformation of the bones, ligaments, and tendons more than active muscle contraction. Notice how extension automatically puts the wing in flight position, whereas flexion automatically folds it away. Very cool! Here Emily Caggiano, an Ohio University Honors Tutorial College undergrad working in WitmerLab, demonstrates the mechanism with the isolated wing of a Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis). Check out the whole Dissecting with Emily series with this playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp0K9wSdRtLIat051zcg3i_nhokGCA6Pr. For more videos like this, check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/witmerlab) or our university page (https://www.ohio.edu/witmerlab).
