"The thoracic spine can rotate easily. This motion also helps rotate the lumbar spine, allowing the cat to orient its body and land on its feet. A cat's thoracic spine, found in the middle of the back, is almost three times more flexible than their lumbar spine, found in the lower back. This allows a cat to rapidly spin its upper torso like a figure skater entering a tight turn, bringing it to face the ground in mere milliseconds."
"Scientists have been puzzling over the so-called 'falling cat problem' since the 1800s, when physicists first noticed how easily cats seemed to turn in the air. What confused the physicists was the fact that this sudden spin appeared to defy the laws of physics. According to a rule called the conservation of angular momentum, an object shouldn't be able to start rotating without an external push."
Scientists from Yamaguchi University have solved the centuries-old mystery of how cats always land on their feet. Through examination of deceased cat spines, researchers discovered that the thoracic spine in the middle of a cat's back is almost three times more flexible than the lumbar spine in the lower back. This extreme flexibility allows cats to rapidly spin their upper torso like figure skaters, rotating their body to face the ground within milliseconds. The thoracic spine's rotational motion also helps rotate the lumbar spine, enabling cats to orient their entire body and achieve proper landing position. This discovery resolves a physics puzzle that has confused scientists since the 1800s, as the movement appeared to violate conservation of angular momentum principles.
#cat-spine-flexibility #falling-cat-problem #animal-biomechanics #physics-of-animal-movement #feline-anatomy
Read at Mail Online
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