Biology Stack Exchange
Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [muscles]

The contractile tissue of animals derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells.

The contractile tissue of animals derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells.

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Does taking a shower have the same effect on muscles as warming up?

When playing sports, coaches and trainers are always very clear that it is necessary to warm up and stretch. But sometimes athletes sometimes want to get an extra stretch in and don't want to go through the hassle of warming up. Will taking a hot…
Stan Shunpike
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How do crocodiles stay fit?

My 8 year old son asked me a question I could not answer (and Google, at least in so far as we tried, was no help either). We were watching a documentary about Salt Water Crocodiles in Northern Australia. The crocodiles seem very energy efficient:…
rafraf
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How can octopus walk if muscles can only contract?

From this video it is evident, that octopus can make tentacles push: https://youtu.be/zaE-LwDowcU How is it possible, if it is said, that muscles can only contract? What types of muscles can distract?
Dims
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Do both ends of a muscle contract?

I was under the impression that both ends of a muscle contract. For instance, the fibers of the biceps run parallel to the humerus so I thought they pulled toward the middle. But now I'm confused because it sounds like the contraction of the…
Stan Shunpike
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Stabbing muscles when flexed and when relaxed

Just a random question, would a sharp object pierce your muscle more(stabbed with the same amount of force) when the muscle is flexed or when relaxed?
stackErr
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Why do athletes see a dip in performance in their thirties?

I have noticed a lot of athletes hit their prime when they are in their 20s and that by the time they reach their 30s they are past it and start to decline. Great athletes tend to prolong their careers by adjusting their game strategy, but even so…
Stan Shunpike
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Are changes in flexibility from stretching due to changes in the nerves or the muscles?

For many people, stretching repeatedly over a period of time improves their flexibility. I want to know whether this improvement commonly seen is due to a change in the nerves or the muscle’s material properties. Are the changes in flexibility seen…
Stan Shunpike
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How do muscles help erect the spine?

Muscles of the spine help to support it against gravity. For example, the multifidi interweave throughout the vertebrae and, as I understand, sort of reinforce the spine. So let's suppose muscles help to make the spine more stiff and rigid and this…
Stan Shunpike
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Why is muscle force more dependent on cross-sectional area than on fiber length?

I was looking up why smaller animals are proportionally stronger than larger animals. The answer that comes back everytime is that muscle force depends on the number of muscle fibers, which is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the muscle.…
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Does constant pressure cause muscle atrophy, and if so, why?

I read on https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gluteal_muscles&oldid=876760828#Clinical_significance: Sitting for long periods can lead to the gluteal muscles atrophying through constant pressure and disuse. However, the statement isn't…
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Difference between reciprocal inhibition and regular muscle movement?

I was looking into a condition I have, anterior pelvic tilt, quite a bit. I ran into a website describing part of the issue as reciprocal inhibition. This was my confusion: Reciprocal inhibition, defined by just about everyone, is the relaxation of…
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When a muscle contracts, does it store potential energy like a spring that is released upon relaxation?

A colleague of mine who mainly focuses on clinical chiropractic work claimed recently in a book he wrote that muscles in the pelvic floor have "elastic recoil." What he means by this is that a muscle behaves like a spring and, upon relaxation,…
Stan Shunpike
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Does the speed of muscle contraction within a single sarcomere differ between people?

Of course the number of muscle cells can be different person to person. But within a single sarcomere, are we all the same? Would the frequency of the protein motor binding and release cycle different for each person? And if that is a constant, then…
user1589188
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What is the difference between muscle fascicle and muscle bundle?

In the photo above (given by Bio teacher), the muscle bundle is shown to be as a bundle of fascicles, but in most web definitions I've seen, the two terms are used interchangeably. What is the correct name for the part labeled "muscle bundle" if…
the real deal
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Is the Klein's bottle a good analogy to the relation between T-tubule and sarcolemma?

I am not quite seeing how the T-tubule and sarcolemma is connected. It says that the T-tubule is an "invagination" of the sarcolemma, which is sarcolemma folded from the inside to form a T-tubule Can someone verify whether the following picture is a…
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