How Do Tiny Insect Legs Function?

  • Thread starter Thread starter daniel_i_l
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Insect Work
AI Thread Summary
Insect legs, including the extremely thin ones that are smaller than human hair, operate through a system of muscles located inside their exoskeletons. Unlike humans, who have muscles attached to an internal skeleton, insects have muscles that contract and move the legs from within their hollow, cylindrical exoskeletons. This anatomical difference is crucial for understanding how insects can effectively maneuver despite their small size. The discussion also touches on the structural similarities between insect and human muscles, noting that both are composed of microscopic strands.
daniel_i_l
Gold Member
Messages
864
Reaction score
0
How do insect legs work? Especially the really small ones that are thinner than human hair? Are they moved by muscles just like peoples?
Thanks.
 
Biology news on Phys.org
Insects have exoskeletons rather than endoskeletons. Insects' muscles are on the inside of their hollow, cylindrical skeleton - rather than like us where the muscles are on the outside of inner skeletons.

Was there something else you wanted to know? Size? Did you know our muscles are merely large bundles of microscopic strands?
 
"Did you know our muscles are merely large bundles of microscopic strands?"
That answers my question.
Thanks.
 

Thread 'Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)'

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/body-dysmorphia/ Most people have some mild apprehension about their body, such as one thinks their nose is too big, hair too straight or curvy. At the extreme, cases such as this, are difficult to completely understand. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/other/why-would-someone-want-to-amputate-healthy-limbs/ar-AA1MrQK7?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=68ce4014b1fe4953b0b4bd22ef471ab9&ei=78 they feel like they're an amputee in the body of a regular person "For...
View full post »
Thread 'Did they discover another descendant of homo erectus?'

Thread 'Did they discover another descendant of homo erectus?'

The study provides critical new insights into the African Humid Period, a time between 14,500 and 5,000 years ago when the Sahara desert was a green savanna, rich in water bodies that facilitated human habitation and the spread of pastoralism. Later aridification turned this region into the world's largest desert. Due to the extreme aridity of the region today, DNA preservation is poor, making this pioneering ancient DNA study all the more significant. Genomic analyses reveal that the...
View full post »

Thread 'Here comes COVID-19 version BA.2, BA.4, BA.5,...'

Popular article referring to the BA.2 variant: Popular article: (many words, little data) https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html Preprint article referring to the BA.2 variant: Preprint article: (At 52 pages, too many words!) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.14.480335v1.full.pdf [edited 1hr. after posting: Added preprint Abstract] Cheers, Tom
View full post »

Similar threads

How Do Insect Muscles Enhance the Function of Compound Eyes?
Replies
1
Views
3K
Is this egg-laying or something else?
Replies
9
Views
3K
Can Insecticide Remove Moth Cocoons from My Room?
Replies
9
Views
3K
New type of henipavirus identified - Langya
Replies
1
Views
1K
SEM-EDX Analysis Summary: Identifying Material
Replies
6
Views
1K
Medical Why Doesn't Diatomaceous Earth Cut Humans?
Replies
12
Views
12K
Insect-ring system, conservation of angular momentum
Replies
6
Views
3K
Unraveling the Mystery: The Science Behind Caloric Restriction and Aging
Replies
16
Views
5K
Medical Curly hair gene, straight hair gene
Replies
7
Views
6K
Slijper’s two-legged goat - developmental plasticity
Replies
12
Views
9K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top