From Science Advances: Since recreational diving is one of the leading causes of head and spinal cord injuries in the United States, it is critical for scientists to understand the hydrodynamic forces present at the slamming phase of a dive, when a body penetrates the water’s surface.⁠ ⁠ A new lab-based study demonstrates the physics of diving-related injuries, finding that injuries are likely to occur whenever the diving height results in a slamming force that exceeds the critical compressive strength of muscles, ligaments, and/or bones. The study, which introduces a way to unify measurements of slamming forces across different body shapes and sizes, concluded that the human upper torso is vulnerable to injuries at heights above 8 meters for head-first dives, 12 meters for hands-first dives, and 15 meters for feet-first dives. ⁠ ⁠ To learn more about the research behind this 29 July cover, which shows a 3D-printed human model slamming hand-first against the water surface, click the link in our bio.⁠ ⁠ PHOTO CREDIT: ANUPAM PANDEY, JISOO YUK, AND SUNGWHAN JUNG