ECR Spotlight – Yuting Lin

Yuting Lin

How did you become interested in biology?

I've always been fascinated by the natural world, and that love began early in my life. My father works in plant protection, and his office is filled with books on biology. I would spend hours immersed in them, even though I wasn't the type of kid to sit and read for long (and to be honest, that hasn't changed much). However, I devoured the entire series of animal stories by Shen Shixi, a popular children's author in China. I still remember some of my favourite birthday gifts – specimens of butterflies that sparked my curiosity even more. Almost every weekend, I went with my family to places like the Hangzhou Safari Park, the zoo, and the Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, where I could be close to nature and animals. These experiences shaped my childhood in unforgettable ways.

I always spent my free time outside, observing ants as they carried food many times their size, catching frogs and toads in the bushes and jumping along with them, or simply watching my grandma's chickens as they wandered about. I was also glued to the TV, watching my favourite Animal World documentaries. My passion for animals was so strong that whenever someone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was always to work with animals. But it wasn't until my freshman year of university that I realised biology was what I wanted to pursue seriously. I faced a choice between studying veterinary medicine and plant protection, both of which were part of the honours programme in agriculture that I was admitted to in China. Although my parents preferred that I would have gone into plant protection, I was determined to focus on animal biology. That decision has shaped the path I continue to follow today.

Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus

I began my scientific journey as a veterinary student, where I realised my aspirations extended beyond being a vet. I wanted to delve deeper into the natural world, but at the time, my focus was unclear. While working in an animal virology lab, I discovered that molecular experiments weren't for me. However, I found a passion for my Animal Anatomy class and spent hours immersed in anatomical drawings. Despite lacking a physics background, I wanted to use a quantitative approach to study animals. The foundational modules and interdisciplinary training I received were immensely beneficial. I took foundational physics classes alongside engineering students and, after initially earning passing grades, sought help, discovered effective study methods, and ultimately achieved full marks.

After my undergraduate studies, I pursued a Master's degree at Cambridge, UK, where I conducted my dissertation in the Biostatistics Unit, focusing on characterising putative novel tick viruses. This experience provided me with a strong quantitative lens for analysing biological systems. Although I initially came to the UK to deepen my expertise in zoonotic viruses, I stepped outside my comfort zone by joining the London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium Doctoral Training Programme. Ultimately, I was accepted into the Royal Veterinary College – what an ideal environment for studying animals – which rekindled my childhood passion for understanding them.

In my first year, I completed rotation projects on elephant behavioural tracking and the biomechanics of how emus stand up, the latter becoming the focus of my current paper and first PhD chapter. Under the enthusiastic mentorship of Dr John Hutchinson and Dr Mehran Moazen, I developed a newfound excitement for the biomechanics of vertebrate terrestrial movement, combining my interests in anatomy, mechanics, and computing. My PhD research investigates how birds stand up and how their biomechanics vary with body size, aiming to explore whether larger birds face greater constraints and adopt different movement strategies than smaller ones. I am passionate about integrating experimental data with computer modelling and simulations to enhance our understanding of locomotor mechanics and evolution, while also working towards advancing treatments for locomotor diseases in animals.

How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?

Terrestrial vertebrates, including humans, typically rest by sitting or lying down and then stand up to move around. Standing up is one of the most biomechanically demanding activities in our daily lives, a process well understood from human studies. But how do animals do it? Animals vary greatly in shape and size, affecting their standing processes. Surprisingly, little research has focused on how animals stand up, aside from a study our team conducted six years ago on greyhounds. My study focuses on how emus, large flightless birds, stand up and the factors involved.

Unlike humans, animals don't typically have seats, starting instead from a crouched position. This requires them to move their joints through a wide range of motions, making it harder for their muscles to support their weight. To understand how their muscles work during this movement, we used computer modelling and simulations, as measuring muscle behaviour directly is challenging.

We instructed emus to stand up from a force platform to record their forces and motions, integrating this data with simulations to investigate how they use their muscles and tendons. Our results showed that emus really push their muscles to the limit when getting up, particularly in muscles that can't stretch much, like those crossing the ankle joint, which is comparable to our knee joint. Tendons also play a crucial role in reducing demands on these muscles.

As we examined the movements further, we noticed that emus often start walking immediately after standing up, differing from the typical sit-to-stand movement, where the final position is standing still. To align with human study conventions, we classified this movement as sit-to-walk, finding that transitioning from sitting to walking demands more muscle effort than simply transitioning to standing, making it a challenge for emus!

I believe this study will lay the groundwork for future research on how various animals stand up, shedding light on locomotor evolution and offering practical applications in robotics and animal welfare.

Why did you choose JEB to publish your paper?

I chose JEB because it is the leading journal in comparative animal biomechanics, and I always aspired to have my first PhD paper published here. Many JEB papers guided my experimental design and provided key findings for comparison, making it a natural fit for my research. Submitting to JEB turned out to be a great experience. The journal allows detailed documentation in the methods section without counting towards the overall word limit, which is crucial for ensuring that experimental protocols can be accurately replicated. The review process was thorough, and when the paper was accepted, I had the opportunity to give an interview about my work – an exciting experience for an early-career scientist.

What do you enjoy most about research, and why?

I've had the opportunity to present my work at three conferences: the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB), and the Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy (SVPCA). Tailoring my presentations for different audiences was a valuable learning experience. At SICB, I brought my favourite stuffed emu, while at SVPCA, I used a chair to demonstrate the sit-to-stand process and drew an abstract dinosaur! I was honoured to win the Best Student Presentation award at SVPCA, which was a highlight of my conference experiences. These conferences broadened my perspective on the field, the feedback I received from diverse audiences was incredibly enlightening, and the enthusiasm within the community is truly inspiring.

I also greatly value collaboration. My project spans multiple disciplines, including zoology, neuroscience, mechanical engineering and computer science. Biomechanics is inherently interdisciplinary, and mastering every field alone is virtually impossible. Collaboration is essential for understanding the full scope of a research project and identifying all the relevant aspects. Learning from others is constant, and each collaboration and piece of feedback is immensely valuable.

What is the hardest challenge you have faced in the course of your research and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge in my research was managing the large variation in trials despite a small sample size. Out of around 90 trials recorded from three emus, only 39 successfully captured the sit-to-stand and sit-to-walk movements. After applying strict exclusion and inclusion criteria, the final dataset was reduced to just 3 sit-to-stand and 9 sit-to-walk trials. This initially seemed like a setback, but it also turned into an opportunity to refine the quality of the data. To overcome this challenge, I focused on rigorous post-analysis techniques, ensuring that the reduced dataset was as accurate and reliable as possible. Even though we didn't have comparative bird data, I used human and greyhound data to validate our findings qualitatively. This approach allowed me to draw meaningful conclusions from the data, despite the limitations. Additionally, this experience highlighted areas where we can optimise future experiments to encourage more natural sit-to-stand behaviours (since animals don't sit frequently!), improving the quality of data collection from the start.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love drawing and painting—it's been a passion of mine since childhood. I used to imagine becoming an artist. I often sit on the campus grass with my pencils, brushes, and paper. I also like staying active. Recently, I've restarted my routine of running 3 km as the first thing I do after waking up. Just like the emus in my study, getting up can be a challenge, but knowing I have a goal – like my morning run – motivates me to get moving.