Expertise
Biomechanics, muscle physiology, ecomorphology
Research Interests
Form-function-mechanics relationships. Integration and coordination of movements. Muscle contraction and tendon action. Ecological diversification. Evolutionary transitions. Feeding.
Education
- Postdocs: Harvard University, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University
- Ph.D., James Cook University
- BSc., MSc., U. Copenhagen
Biosketch
In my lab, we pursue an understanding of how biological movements, as seen during feeding and locomotion arise from mechanical interactions between contracting muscles, springy tendons and jointed skeletons. We combine tools from biomechanics, muscle physiology, and functional morphology into a research program that is relevant to students interested in organismal biology, ecology and evolution, and biomedical or health-care careers. Some of our current projects seek to determine how changes in chewing movement patterns impact ecological transitions like terrestrialization. Other ongoing projects have direct implications for questions in human health, including how contractile-elastic mechanics differ between muscles and is affected by stretch injury, and how muscle-tendon function changes within an organism from cradle to grave.
For news about our research, please .
Selected Publications
- Wallace I J, Riew G, Landau R, Bendele A, Holowka N, Hedrick T, Konow N, Brooks D, Liebermann D. (2021) Experimental evidence that physical activity inhibits osteoarthritis: Implications for inferring activity patterns from osteoarthritis in archeological human skeletons. Am J Phys Anth. doi.org/10-1002/ajpa.24429
- Cavigelli S, Leips J, Xiang J, Lemke D, Konow N. (2021) Next steps in integrative biology: Mapping interactive processes across levels of biological organization. NSF Reintegrating Biology Jumpstart. Integrative and Comparative Biology. doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab161
- Panessiti C, Rickards G, Rull M, Konow N. (2021). Thermal sensitivity of Axolotl feeding behaviors. Integrative and Comparative Biology. doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab120
- Putra C. Konow N, Gage M, York C. Mangano K. (2021). Protein Source and Muscle Health in Older Adults; a review. Nutrients 13(3):743. doi.org/10.3390/nu13030743
- Tijs C, Konow N, Biewener AA (2021). Effect of muscle stimulation intensity on the heterogeneous function of regions within an architecturally complex muscle. J. Appl. Phys. doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00514.2020
- Wakeling JM, Tijs C, Konow N, Biewener AA. (2021). Modeling muscle function using experimentally determined subject-specific muscle properties. Journal of Biomechanics. doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110242
- Schwarz D, Konow N, Heiss E. (2020). Ontogenetic plasticity in cranial morphology is associated with a change in food processing behavior in Alpine newts. Frontiers in Zoology. doi.org/10.1186/s12983-020-00373-x
- Schwarz D, Gorb S, Kovalev A, Konow N, Heiss E. (2020). Flexibility of intraoral food processing in salamandrid newts: Effects of environment and prey type. Journal of Experimental Biology. doi.org/10.1242/jeb.232868
- Taylor-Burt K, Konow N, Biewener AA (2020) Post-activation muscle potentiation and its relevance to cyclic movement. Biology Letters. doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0255
- Taylor-Burt K,听Konow N, Biewener AA (2020) Post-activation muscle potentiation and its relevance to cyclic movement.听Biology Letters. doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0255
- Rull M, Solomon J,听Konow N听(2020) Elastic recoil drives jaw closure in an aquatic-feeding salamander.听Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B.听doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0428
- Konow N, Collias A, Biewener AA. (2020)听In vivo听dynamic shape-changes in the medial gastrocnemius during rat locomotion are force dependent.听Frontiers in Physiology.听11:143. doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00143
- Jayshini NM, Kessler S, Rainbow MJ D鈥橝ndera SE,听Konow N, Kelley L, Lichtwark GA. (2020) reliability of exploring intrinsic motion of the foot with biplanar videoradiography.听Front. Bioeng. Biotech.8:106 doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00106
- Schwarz D,听Konow N, Heiss E (2020) A salamander that chews with complex, three-dimensional mandible movements. J. Exp. Biol.听doi.org/10.1242/jeb.220749
- Ravi S, Noda R, Gagliardi S, Kolomenskiy D, Combes S, Liu H, Biewener AA,听Konow N. (2020) Modulation of flight muscle recruitment and wing rotation enables hummingbirds to mitigate aerial roll perturbations.听Current Biology听doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.025
- Eng C, Tijs C,听Konow N, Holt N, De Boef M, Biewener AA (2019) Mechanical performance of two rat hind limb muscles with respect to gait and slope.听J. Exp. Biol.听doi.org/10.1242/jeb.205559.
- Karakostis FA, Wallace I,听Konow N, Havarti K. (2019) Experimental evidence that physical activity affects the multivariate associations among muscle attachments (entheses).听J. Exp. Biol.听222 (23) doi.org/10.1242/jeb.213058.
- Lin Y,听Konow N, Dumont E (2019) How moles walk; it鈥檚 all thumbs.听Biology Letters听15 (10) 20190503. Doi.org/ 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0503.
- Putra C, Rimkus B, Shehaj A, Gage M,听Konow N, Mangano K. (2019) Impact of dietary protein source on muscle performance: An听in-vivo听behavioral assay.听Curr. Devt. Nutr.听3 (suppl. 1), nzz033. doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzz033.OR26-05-19
- Kessler SE, Rainbow ME, Lichtwark GA, Cresswell AG, D鈥橝ndrea SE,听Konow N, Kelly LA (2019) A Direct Comparison of Biplanar Videoradiography and Optical Motion Capture for Foot and Ankle Kinematics.听Front. Bioeng. Biotech.听7, 199. doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00199.
- Witzmann F, Brainerd EL,听Konow N听(2019) Eye movements in frogs and salamanders: testing the palatal buccal pump hypothesis.听Int. Org. Biol.听IOB2019008. doi.org/10.1093/iob/obz011
- Arellano C,听Konow N, Gidmark N, Roberts TJ (2019) Tunable tendons: Elastic energy storage in aponeuroses varies with transverse strain听in vivo.听Proc. R. Soc. B.听20182764. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.2764.
- Heiss E, Schwarz D,听Konow N听(2019) Chewing or not? Intraoral food processing in a salamandrid newt.听J. Exp. Biol.听doi.org/10.1242/jeb.189886.
- Lin Y,听Konow N, Dumont E (2019) How moles destroy your lawn: the forelimb kinematics of Eastern moles in loose and compact substrates.听J. Exp. Biol.听doi.org/10.1242/jeb.182436
- Ahn A,听Konow N, Tijs C, Biewener AA (2018) Segments within vertebrate muscle can operate on different regions of the force-length relationship.听Integr. Comp. Biol. 58(2) 219-231
- Konow N, Price S, Aabom R, Bellwood DR, Wainwright PC (2017) Contrasting rates of eco-morphological diversification in coral reef butterfly and bannerfishes.听Proc. R. Soc. B.听20170906
- Fr茅d茅rich B, Santini F,听Konow N, Lecchini, Alfaro ME (2017) Convergent miniaturization in marine angelfishes.听Biol. Lett.听20170154
- Konow N, Cheney J, Roberts TJ, Iriarte-Diaz J, Breuer K, Waldman R, Swartz SM (2017) Speed-dependent modulation of wing muscle recruitment intensity and kinematics in two bat species.听J. Exp. Biol.听doi.org/10.1242/jeb.144550
- Wallace I, Winchester J, Su A, Boyer DM,听Konow N听(2017) Physical activity alters limb bone structure but not entheseal morphology.听J. Hum. Evol.听doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.00.502
- Arellano CJ, Gidmark NJ,听Konow N, Azizi E, Roberts TJ (2016) Determinants underlying aponeurosis shape change during muscle contraction.听J. Biomech.听49:1812-7 doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.04.022