Related papers: Upconverting microgauges reveal intraluminal force…
Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising optical biomechanical force sensors due to their near infrared excitation, low toxicity, photostability, and linear colorimetric sensitivity to micronewtons of force. Recently, a composite…
Limbless locomotors, from microscopic worms to macroscopic snakes, traverse complex, heterogeneous natural environments typically using undulatory body wave propagation. Theoretical and robophysical models typically emphasize body…
The emerging field of optogenetics allows for optical activation or inhibition of neurons and other tissue in the nervous system. In 2005 optogenetic proteins were expressed in the nematode C. elegans for the first time. Since then, C.…
How pattern and form are generated in a reproducible manner during embryogenesis remains poorly understood. Intestinal organoid morphogenesis involves a number of mechanochemical regulators, including cell-type specific cytoskeletal forces…
Soft colloids are increasingly used as model systems to address fundamental issues such as crystallisation and the glass and jamming transitions. Among the available classes of soft colloids, microgels are emerging as the gold standard.…
Phototaxis, the directed motion in response to a light stimulus, is crucial for motile microorganisms that rely on photosynthesis, such as the unicellular microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It is well known that microalgae adapt to…
Mechanical force is an essential feature for many physical and biological processes.1-12 Remote measurement of mechanical signals with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is needed for diverse applications, including robotics,13…
Various microorganisms and some mammalian cells are able to swim in viscous fluids by performing nonreciprocal body deformations, such as rotating attached flagella or by distorting their entire body. In order to perform chemotaxis, i.e. to…
Gastrulation, namely cell internalization, is a significant milestone during the development of metazoans from worm to human, which generates multiple embryonic layers with distinct cell fates and spatial organizations. Although many…
One of the characteristic features of many marine dinoflagellates is their bioluminescence, which lights up nighttime breaking waves or seawater sliced by a ship's prow. While the internal biochemistry of light production by these…
Many morphogenetic processes involve mechanical rearrangement of epithelial tissues that is driven by precisely regulated cytoskeletal forces and cell adhesion. The mechanical state of the cell and intercellular adhesion are not only the…
Deformable colloids and macromolecules adsorb at interfaces, as they decrease the interfacial energy between the two media. The deformability, or softness, of these particles plays a pivotal role in the properties of the interface. In this…
From a purely operational standpoint, the existence of microbes that can grow under extreme conditions, or "extremophiles", leads to the question of how the molecules making up these microbes can maintain both their structure and function.…
Microbial colonization of surfaces represents the first step towards biofilm formation, which is a recurring phenomenon in nature with beneficial and detrimental implications in technological and medical settings. Consequently, there is a…
Optical manipulation of micro- and nanoparticles near surfaces is fundamental for applications in sensing and microfluidics, yet controlling particle-surface interactions remains challenging. Here we experimentally investigate light-induced…
The primary function of intestinal microvilli is to increase the surface area of the intestinal lining to maximize nutrient absorption. This is especially important as fish, like other animals, need to efficiently absorb proteins,…
Many parts of biological organisms are comprised of deformable porous media. The biological media is both pliable enough to deform in response to an outside force and can deform by itself using the work of an embedded muscle. For example,…
In this review article, we focus on emerging nanocantilever based biological sensors and discuss the response of nanocantilevers towards bio-molecules capture. The article guides the reader through various modes of operation (e.g., static…
Biological cells sense and respond to mechanical forces, but how such a mechanosensing proccess takes place in a nonlinear inhomogeneous fibrous matrix remains unknown. We show that cells in a fibrous matrix induce deformation fields that…
The unicellular microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is widely recognized as a premier model living microswimmer for physicists and biophysicists. However, the interest around C. reinhardtii goes beyond its swimming capabilities. In fact,…