We have long been fascinated with falling cats and their ability to land on their feet. So much so that we've dropped an astonishing number of cats in the name of science over the centuries. Even after the development of high-speed photography, experts disagree on how they do it, but there are several theories, including the “tuck and turn” model, the “falling figure skater” explanation, and the “bend and twist” method. My favorite is the "propeller tail" concept.
Recent research gives credence to the tuck and turn theory. The study began with a truly terrifying phrase in which each word is worse then the one before, until you get to the end: "A team of Japanese scientists removed the spines from five donated cat cadavers," and placed them in a twisting device. The researchers then moved on to live cats, but they neither had their spines removed nor were they put into a twisting device- they were just dropped, which is bad enough. The cats landed on their feet, and showed a marked preference in turning to their right. Learn more about this important research at Ars Technica. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: Yasuo Higurashi et al., 2026)
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