Woodpeckers grunt like tennis stars when drilling

Woodpeckers turn themselves into hammers by bracing with muscles

The Company of Biologists

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Woodpeckers pack a punch., pounding wood with extreme force and experiencing decelerations of up to 400g. Now Nicholas Antonson, Matthew Fuxjager, Stephen Ogunbiyi, Margot Champigneulle and Thomas Roberts (all at Brown University, USA) and bird song expert Franz Goller (University of Münster, Germany) reveal in Journal of Experimental Biology that drilling woodpeckers turn themselves in hammers birds by bracing their head, neck, abdomen and tail muscles to hold their bodies rigid when they pound on wood, driving each impact with the hip flexor and front neck muscles.

In addition, Antonson and colleagues discovered that the birds synchronise their breathing with their movements each time they strike wood, like ace tennis stars that grunt noisily to stabilise core muscles when they take a shot.

To find out how woodpeckers use their muscles when drilling, the team gently caught eight wild downy woodpeckers and filmed the birds with high-speed video over 3 days, recording when they drilled and tapped on a piece of hardwood.

In addition, the scientists measured electrical signals in the birds’ head, neck, abdomen, tail and leg muscles, to determine when they contracted as the birds pounded with their beaks.

The researchers also recorded the air pressure in a section of the airway of six birds and the amount of air two of them exhaled through their voice boxes, to track their breathing before returning the birds to their homes in the wild.

Piecing together the information, the team realised that the hip flexor and the front neck muscles are essential, propelling the birds forward as they drive their beaks into the wood.

‘At the same time, other muscles appear to play supportive roles’, says Antonson, explaining that the birds tipped their heads back and braced with three muscles situated at the base of the skull and back of the neck.

In addition, the birds steadied their bodies with their abdominal muscle, and they also prepared for impact by flexing the tail muscle, before using it to stabilise the hip to anchor the body against the tree at the moment of impact.

Essentially, downy woodpeckers brace their bodies to turn themselves into a hammer to drive their beaks into wood.

But woodpeckers aren’t just one-hit wonders, the birds fine-tune the power of their impacts, depending on whether they are drilling hard or tapping more softly to send a message. The team compared the strength of the muscle contractions as the woodpeckers pecked and found that the front hip flexor muscle contracted harder while the birds were drilling – driving the harder impact – easing off when they tapped more softly.

Finally, the team focused on the woodpeckers’ breathing patterns, noticing that the birds exhaled forcefully, as if grunting, at the instant that the beak struck wood.

‘This type of breathing pattern is known to generate greater co-contraction of trunk musculature’, says Antonson, adding that grunting effectively boosts the power of each blow.

The team also realised that the birds perfectly synchronised their breathing with each impact as they tapped more softly at rates of up to 13 strikes per second, inhaling a mini-breath (~40 ms) between each rapid blow.

Woodpeckers use their entire bodies when drilling and tapping like a hammer, from the tip of their beaks to their tails, but unlike tennis players, their grunts are drowned out by the drumming.

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IF REPORTING THIS STORY, PLEASE MENTION JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY AS THE SOURCE AND, IF REPORTING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A LINK TO:

https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.251167

REFERENCE: Antonson, N. D., Ogunbiyi, S., Champigneulle, M., Roberts, T. J., Goller, F. and Fuxjager, M. J. (2025). Neuromuscular coordination of movement and breathing forges a hammer-like mechanism for woodpecker drilling. J. Exp. Biol. 228, jeb251167. doi:10.1242/jeb.251167

DOI:10.1242/jeb.251167

THIS ARTICLE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY 6 NOVEMBER  2025 18:00 HRS EDT (23:00 HRS BST)

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Journal

Journal of Experimental Biology

DOI

10.1242/jeb.251167 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Neuromuscular coordination of movement and breathing forges a hammer-like mechanism for woodpecker drilling

Article Publication Date

6-Nov-2025

 

Carob leaf and pomegranate peel extracts may help reduce the incidence of "soapy olive" disease

University of Córdoba

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Image of two of the researchers who developed the study

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Credit: University of Córdoba

Anthracnose is considered one of the most significant diseases affecting olive trees. Popularly known as “soapy olive” due to the appearance of fruit affected by it, this disease, caused by various fungal species of the genus Colletotrichum, significantly reduces yields and undermines oil quality, particularly during epidemic years.

Now, a new international study has identified two bioprotectants as potential candidates to mitigate the damage wrought by this disease: plant extracts derived from carob leaves and pomegranate husks. These raw materials, previously viewed as plant or agri-food industry waste, are now emerging as promising alternatives to traditional fungicides, thereby contributing to the biocircular economy.

According to the results of the study, conducted by the Department of Agronomy at the University of Cordoba (DAUCO) in collaboration with the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal), both extracts significantly reduce the production and germination of the fungus’s conidia, and also prevent the formation of appressoria, “two key structures the fungus uses to disperse and initiate infection in the plant,” emphasized Begoña Antón, the lead author of the study. Furthermore, the study’s findings highlight that the preventive foliar application of both extracts—especially carob—activates the plant’s defense mechanisms linked to its antioxidant response. This application also increases the production of certain phenolic compounds that help strengthen the plant’s natural resistance to the pathogen.

A study conducted under controlled conditions that opens new doors

To achieve these results, the research team conducted in vitro tests and bioassays on both individual olives and olive seedlings in controlled environment chambers. In fact, in this latest trial, researchers confirmed that carob leaf extract can reduce the disease’s incidence by 35%. “Although this percentage is lower than that achieved with a traditional copper-based fungicide, it represents an important step forward in optimizing the effectiveness of these compounds,” stated Carlos Agustí, the principal investigator on the study.

This study opens up new avenues for the development of sustainable anthracnose control strategies using bioprotectants, which could reduce the need for fungicides, as their use is increasingly restricted by the European Union. However, several important steps still need to be taken to achieve this, including testing how these bioprotectors perform in field conditions, where environmental and biological factors are more variable and complex, and studying the feasibility of scaling them up industrially if their effectiveness is confirmed.

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Journal

Industrial Crops and Products

DOI

10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.121653 

Article Title

Carob and pomegranate extracts enhance plant defense mechanisms against olive anthracnose through antioxidant activity and the production of phenolic compounds

 

UMH pioneers a visual neuroprosthesis that communicates with the brain in real time, tested in two blind volunteers

Spanish researchers have successfully tested a new generation of visual neuroprosthesis capable of bidirectional communication with the cerebral cortex, enabling a more natural and functional artificial vision.

Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche

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Vision isn’t a passive process; it’s a constant exchange of information between the eyes and the brain. That’s why artificial systems must also reproduce this feedback loop to mimic better how the visual system truly functions. In any case, the goal is not to “see again,” but to regain functional vision—enough to support basic tasks like navigation, mobility, and reading large characters or numbers.

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Credit: Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)

Blindness profoundly affects people’s lives. Around the world, several laboratories, including the Biomedical Neuroengineering Lab at Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), are developing visual prostheses based on brain implants. These devices could eventually help restore functional vision to people who have lost their sight.

A study published in Science Advances reports the results achieved at UMH with a new generation of visual neuroprostheses capable of two-way communication with the brain. This dynamic interaction establishes a direct dialogue with the visual cortex, bringing artificial vision closer to the natural visual process. The system has shown promising results in two blind volunteers.

“A cortical artificial vision system seeks to emulate how natural vision works,” explains UMH professor and study leader Eduardo Fernández Jover. “It uses a small external camera built into conventional-looking glasses to replace the retina. The information captured by the camera is processed electronically and converted into electrical stimulation patterns sent to the part of the brain responsible for visual processing — the occipital cortex.”

“But vision isn’t a passive process; it’s a constant exchange of information between the eyes and the brain,” he continues. “That’s why artificial systems must also reproduce this feedback loop to mimic better how the visual system truly functions.” In any case, the goal is not to “see again,” but to regain functional vision—enough to support basic tasks like navigation, mobility, and reading large characters or numbers.

Until now, all visual neuroprostheses have been open-loop systems, meaning they did not take into account how neurons respond to electrical stimulation. “When a device stimulates the brain, the neurons adapt, learn, and respond,” says Fernández Jover. “The neurons we stimulate can become more sensitive or fatigued. Or the signal we send today might not be the one the brain expects tomorrow — because the brain itself has changed.”

“This study shows that we can establish a true two-way dialogue with the brain,” the UMH professor emphasizes. “While generating the electrical impulses that evoke visual perceptions, we can simultaneously record brain activity and adjust the stimulation patterns according to nearby neurons’ responses — just as it happens under natural conditions. This closed-loop approach harnesses the brain’s adaptability and turns what was once a monologue into a dynamic conversation between technology and the brain, bringing us closer to natural vision.”

The study, conducted in collaboration with IMED Elche Hospital, involved implanting a tiny, 4-millimeter-wide device containing 100 microelectrodes. The team used a surgical robot and an advanced neuronavigation system to perform the procedure safely and precisely. “This technology allows us to guide electrode insertion in real time with great precision,” explains Pablo González López, neurosurgeon at Hospital Doctor Balmis and IMED Hospitals. “The entire implantation can be done through an opening just 8–10 millimeters wide, avoiding the need for a full craniotomy. As a result, participants can be discharged early and experience far less postoperative discomfort.”

Back in 2021, the UMH Biomedical Neuroengineering Lab successfully implanted a device in the brain of a blind volunteer, safely inducing the perception of shapes and letters with unprecedented resolution. Now, the team has taken a major step forward: developing a technology that bridges the gap between perceiving a flash of light and truly seeing the world.

This system not only writes on the brain — by delivering electrical patterns that evoke visual sensations — but also reads neuronal responses and adapts to them in real-time. “This technology can safely and stably induce visual perceptions,” says Fernández Jover. “The new system learns from the brain, and the brain learns from the system.”

Thanks to this bidirectional exchange, implanted participants have been able to recognize complex patterns, movements, shapes, and even some letters. “By analyzing neural activity,” Fernández Jover adds, “we can now predict whether a specific electrical stimulation will produce a visual perception —and even estimate its brightness and the number of individual percepts.” This enables the system to automatically fine-tune stimulation parameters, improving adaptation and accelerating the users’ learning curve.

These findings represent an encouraging step toward developing a visual neuroprosthesis that could help blind or low-vision individuals enhance their mobility and, ultimately, perceive and navigate their surroundings. However, Fernández Jover stresses that “although the results are highly promising, many challenges remain. It is essential to advance carefully and avoid creating false expectations —this is still ongoing research.”

Currently, artificial vision implants remain in the preclinical stage and are not yet available to the general public. The ultimate goal is to restore vision in people who once had sight but lost it due to degenerative retinal diseases or optic nerve damage —conditions with no existing treatment options. In these cases, the brain retains its capacity to process visual information, allowing the implant to transmit electrical signals to areas still capable of interpreting light and shapes.

“In contrast, in people who are born blind, the visual cortex never fully develops the ability to see,” explains the UMH researcher. “These regions are reorganized for other functions such as language or spatial awareness through hearing and touch. Therefore, for now, an implant cannot ‘speak’ to a visual system that never developed —there is no pre-existing code to communicate with.”

This scientific work was conducted by Fabrizio Grani, Cristina Soto Sánchez, Alfonso Rodil Doblado, Rocío López Peco, and Eduardo Fernández Jover from the UMH Bioengineering Institute, together with Pablo González López, neurosurgeon at Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis in Alicante.

The researchers express their gratitude to the volunteer participants and their families for their dedication over the course of many months of effort. They also thank the medical staff at IMED Elche Hospital for their clinical support, which made this research possible.

This work received funding from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (DTS19/00175, PDC2022-133952-100); the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program (grant agreements no. 899287 NeuraViPeR and no. 861423 enTRAIN Vision; Innovative Neurotechnology for Society (INTENSE)); the Dutch Neurotechnology Consortium; and the Regional Government of Valencia (PROMETEO CIPROM/2023/25).

This system not only writes on the brain — by delivering electrical patterns that evoke visual sensations — but also reads neuronal responses and adapts to them in real-time. “This technology can safely and stably induce visual perceptions,” says Fernández Jover. “The new system learns from the brain, and the brain learns from the system.”

Credit

Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)

By analyzing neural activity,” Fernández Jover adds, “we can now predict whether a specific electrical stimulation will produce a visual perception —and even estimate its brightness and the number of individual percepts.” This enables the system to automatically fine-tune stimulation parameters, improving adaptation and accelerating the users’ learning curve.

Credit

Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)

Blindness profoundly affects people’s lives. Around the world, several laboratories, including the Biomedical Neuroengineering Lab at Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), are developing visual prostheses based on brain implants. These devices could eventually help restore functional vision to people who have lost their sight.

Credit

Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)

Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adv8846 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Neural correlates of phosphene perception in blind individuals: A step toward a bidirectional cortical visual prosthesis

Article Publication Date

5-Nov-2025