Scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have discovered how animals can alternate their left and right legs during walking. In a new study in Nature, researchers targeted two specific groups of neurons in the spinal cord that expressed a gene known as Dbx1 (red in this image). Their experiments showed that one of these groups of neurons shows activity when a mouse walks at slow speeds. The other group is active when the mouse is running. Elimination of both groups of these spinal cord neurons caused the mice to hop like rabbits. These results, the researchers say, could provide the neurological bases as to why some animals hop when others run.
No word if they uncovered the neurons that let people walk and chew gum at the same time ;)
More info: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12286.html
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