Researchers found that flies, mice and humans share a fundamental walking pattern despite major differences in anatomy. Across all three species, joints farther from the body’s center moved faster than more proximal joints, and this distal-to-proximal velocity gradient remained stable even with aging. The findings suggest a conserved principle of motor control and provide a framework for comparing movement, aging and neurological disorders across species.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2534093123