TAYLOR, J. R. A.*; KIER, W. M.; Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Mechanical properties of a crab skeleton following molting Molting involves significant changes in the structure of the exoskeleton as the old one is shed and a new one is secreted. The flimsy new cuticle takes several […]

COLLIN, M. A.*; SWANSON, B. O.; HAYASHI, C. Y.; Univ. of California, Riverside ; Pacific University, Oregon; Univ. of California, Riverside: Mechanical Properties of Embioptera Silk Arthropods produce and use silk for a variety of purposes. Silk from a few types of arthropods have been mechanically tested and some of these silks were found to […]

MEHTA, Rita; Univ. of California, Davis: Evolution of Constriction Motor Patterns in Snakes Behavior results from the integration of morphology, physiology, and biomechanics. Any one of these levels can be examined to gain insight into patterns driving behavioral variation across species. My research takes an integrative approach to test hypotheses concerning the evolution of constriction […]

FAULKES, Z.; University of Texas – Pan American: Do shovel-nosed lobsters shovel with their noses? Aquatic digging is a poorly understood form of locomotion that typically involves moving through sand. Sand is a granular material with complex physical properties: for example, granular materials can switch between solid-like and liquid-like properties. Because the physics of granular […]

DE SCHEPPER*, N**; ADRIAENS, D; DE KEGEL, B; Ghent University, Belgium; Ghent University, Belgium; Ghent University, Belgium: Cranial morphological specializations related to burrowing: a case study of head- and tail-first burrowing Pisodonophis boro. The order Anguilliformes forms a natural group of eel-like species. Life styles of these representatives cover the entire spectrum from non-burrowing to […]

WOODS, W. A. Jr.*; FUSILLO, S. J. ; TRIMMER, B. A. ; Tufts University; Tufts University; Tufts University: Caterpillar Calisthenics: Dynamics of a Slow, Stretchy Muscle During Strain Cycling and Simulated Natural Crawling Caterpillars are soft-bodied terrestrial climbers that accomplish a wide variety of complex movements with several hundred muscles and a relatively simple central […]

Meeting Abstract 34.5  Jan. 5  SoxE genes in development and evolution of the pharynx MCCAULEY, D.W.; University of Oklahoma dwmccauley@ou.edu The neural crest is a defining characteristic of vertebrates that gives rise to many characters specific to vertebrates and are considered a hallmark of vertebrate evolution. In gnathostome vertebrates, derivatives of the neural crest include the jaws […]

Meeting Abstract 34.6  Jan. 5  Mechanical and Bird Flight. LANDRY, S.O.; State University of New York, Binghamton slandry@binghamton.edu The fathers of heavier than air flight from Leonardo Da Vinci down to the Wright Brothers gained many of their insights from observing the flight of birds. Is it possible that students of the evolution of flight, in return, […]

Meeting Abstract 34.4  Jan. 5  Lessons Learned from the �Intelligent Design� Trial PADIAN, Kevin; University of California, Berkeley kpadian@berkeley.edu On December 20, 2005, Judge John E. Jones III ruled in a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania courtroom that �intelligent design� is not accepted as science by the scientific community and could not be taught as such in public school science […]

Meeting Abstract 34.2  Jan. 5  Defining the promoter region of a second insulin gene in zebrafish PAPASANI, MR*; HALTERMAN, K; HILL, RA; University of Idaho; University of Idaho; University of Idaho papasani@uidaho.edu A second insulin gene, insb has been identified and shown to be expressed in the pancreas, head and blastomeres during embryonic development of zebrafish. Towards […]