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Articles on Balance

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Sleep plays a critically important role in the recovery process in the days following a concussion. nicolamargaret/E+ via Getty Images

Concussions can cause disruptions to everyday life in both the short and long term – a neurophysiologist explains what to watch for

While high-profile concussions in the NFL have brought renewed attention to the gravity of head injuries, they can also occur on the playground or during junior varsity practices – with lasting effects.
Dogs use their tails to communicate. Eastimages/Moment via Getty Images

Why do animals have tails?

An anthropologist explains some of the many ways animals use their tails, from balancing as they walk to attracting a mate.
Eccentric exercises (such as walking downhill) cause our muscles to lengthen under the load in order to slow the body down. FS Stock/Shutterstock

Walking downhill increases risk of falls in older adults

‘Eccentric exercises’ are a normal part of everyday life – but they may carry some risks.
Looking out the window instead might stop you feeling sick, but that doesn’t work for everyone. Vadiar/Shutterstock

Curious Kids: why does reading in the back seat make you feel sick?

When you read in the back seat of the car, your eyes tell your brain you’re still. But your ears can sense you’re moving. Your eyes and ears are having an argument that your brain is trying to settle.
How do they do while sleeping what we can barely do at all? Carlos Bustamante Restrepo

Neuromechanics of flamingos’ amazing feats of balance

These birds spend long periods, often asleep, standing on one leg. Is it passive biomechanics or active nervous system control of their muscles that allows them to do easily what’s impossible for us?
We don’t tend to realise it, but there are complex processes happening in our body at all times just to keep us upright. from www.shutterstock.com.au

Explainer: how do our bodies balance themselves?

The fact we are almost totally unaware of this elegant reflex is evidence of the superb, undercover work the balance system does for us.

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