Eccentric training is widely used to prevent hamstring injuries, but the mechanisms behind their effectiveness remain unclear. Researchers found that nine weeks of eccentric training allowed hamstring muscle fibers to operate at longer lengths during exercise without overstretching their microscopic contractile units. These adaptations likely occur through the addition of sarcomeres in series and may help explain why this training method reduces hamstring injury risk.

In the largest genomic mapping of Africa's elephants, an international team of researchers shows that elephant history is defined by the ability to move across large distances and exchange genes throughout the African continent. But as the elephants’ living space is becoming increasingly patchy, the study documents the visible genetic consequences of isolation – and points to approaches that help to incorporate genomics into current and future elephant conservation.