1. The work loop approach was used to measure mechanical power output from an asynchronous flight muscle, the dorso-ventral muscle of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Measurements were made at the optimum muscle length for work output at 30 °C and at a muscle temperature (40 °C) and oscillatory frequency (141­173 Hz, depending on the size of the animal) characteristic of free flight. Oscillatory strain amplitude was adjusted to maximize power output. 2. There was much preparation-to-preparation variability in power output. Power output in the muscles with the highest values was slightly greater than 100 W kg-1. It is argued that there are many experimental factors which might reduce measured power output below that in the living bumblebee, and no obvious factors which might lead to overestimates of muscle power. The conclusion is that flight muscle in the intact bumblebee can produce at least 100 W kg-1.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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