Post by account_disabled on Mar 4, 2024 22:47:53 GMT -5
Studies on the complex system that produces vibration in the larynx of cats, known as purring, have taken an important turn. The biomechanics of the signals emitted by domestic felines when they feel comfortable or stressed are more similar to snoring than to a voluntary muscle spasm.
Research published in Current Biology states that the larynx of domestic cats has a kind of pad visible to the naked eye. Which allows the feline to produce low-frequency self-sustained oscillations with Chinese Overseas Asia Number Data out the need for neuronal intervention. The tissue is an anatomical adaptation introduced in the vocal plica that reacts to the influence of the air that enters through the lungs.
Cat purring, a streamlined behavior instead of a tension
For a long time it was believed that the vibratory component of purring operated under the principles of muscle contraction . A contraction begins when the nervous system generates a signal that travels through a motor neuron to a neuromuscular junction. Once there, it releases a chemical message that tightens the fibers and triggers movement.
The new report states that the laryngeal pad of cats is governed by the aerodynamic myolastic theory . In this assumption, it is the ratio of air entering and leaving the lungs that activates and controls the vibrations of the vocal folds , producing the voice in humans and sounds in animals. To test this, scientists experimented with eight larynxes removed from domestic felines that died from incurable diseases. The phonetic systems were housed in vertical tubes that supplied warm, humid air similar to that which enters the body when breathing. The researchers managed to elicit the low-frequency phonation characteristic of purring without requiring a neural stimulus.
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The study admits that the results do not rule out the intervention of the muscle contraction process, but they assure that it was a mistake to state too soon that it is the only cause of purring. Tests indicate that air dynamics can trigger the vibration mechanism.
The conclusion of the article is not without controversy. Biomechanical engineers interviewed by Science claim that the experiment was limited only to verifying the functioning of the larynx in isolation without taking into account the complex system within a living cat. For them, this detail represents a significant bias. For example, according to scientist David Rice , the research can be compared to removing the mouthpiece of a wind instrument and analyzing its sounds independently.
Research published in Current Biology states that the larynx of domestic cats has a kind of pad visible to the naked eye. Which allows the feline to produce low-frequency self-sustained oscillations with Chinese Overseas Asia Number Data out the need for neuronal intervention. The tissue is an anatomical adaptation introduced in the vocal plica that reacts to the influence of the air that enters through the lungs.
Cat purring, a streamlined behavior instead of a tension
For a long time it was believed that the vibratory component of purring operated under the principles of muscle contraction . A contraction begins when the nervous system generates a signal that travels through a motor neuron to a neuromuscular junction. Once there, it releases a chemical message that tightens the fibers and triggers movement.
The new report states that the laryngeal pad of cats is governed by the aerodynamic myolastic theory . In this assumption, it is the ratio of air entering and leaving the lungs that activates and controls the vibrations of the vocal folds , producing the voice in humans and sounds in animals. To test this, scientists experimented with eight larynxes removed from domestic felines that died from incurable diseases. The phonetic systems were housed in vertical tubes that supplied warm, humid air similar to that which enters the body when breathing. The researchers managed to elicit the low-frequency phonation characteristic of purring without requiring a neural stimulus.
cats
Science explains why cats love tuna
Cats' taste buds evolved to detect umami, a flavor highly present in tuna.
The study admits that the results do not rule out the intervention of the muscle contraction process, but they assure that it was a mistake to state too soon that it is the only cause of purring. Tests indicate that air dynamics can trigger the vibration mechanism.
The conclusion of the article is not without controversy. Biomechanical engineers interviewed by Science claim that the experiment was limited only to verifying the functioning of the larynx in isolation without taking into account the complex system within a living cat. For them, this detail represents a significant bias. For example, according to scientist David Rice , the research can be compared to removing the mouthpiece of a wind instrument and analyzing its sounds independently.