Texas A&M NASA study: lower gravity pushes people to simpler movement patterns

Phys.org reported that Texas A&M University researchers, in NASA-supported work published in Human Movement Science, found that reduced gravity makes human movement less stable and pushes people toward simpler coordination patterns. Dr. Deanna Kennedy of kinesiology partnered with aerospace engineers Dr. Ana Diaz Artiles and Dr. Bonnie Dunbar. Participants performed movement tasks during parabolic flight and, in a later phase, on a short-radius human centrifuge that can re-create lunar and Martian gravity for extended periods. As gravity decreases, complex tasks such as using each hand independently became harder to control. Participants gradually shifted toward easier, more natural behaviors instead of maintaining intended patterns. Kennedy said gravity changes coordination patterns in a systematic, predictable way, beyond the speed effects that dominate much coordination research. The team is analyzing applications for rehabilitation and Parkinson's disease, arguing that knowing where coordination breaks down creates a point for intervention on Earth as well as in space. The paper is titled on gravity as a contextual control parameter in coordination dynamics during parabolic flight and carries DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2026.103468.