生物物理
Animals and robots must right themselves after flipping over on the ground. The discoid cockroach pushes its wings against the ground in an attempt to dynamically self-right by a somersault. However, because this maneuver is strenuous, the…
Effective locomotion in nature happens by transitioning across multiple modes (e.g., walk, run, climb). Despite this, far more mechanistic understanding of terrestrial locomotion has been on how to generate and stabilize around…
Snakes can move through almost any terrain. Similarly, snake robots hold the promise as a versatile platform to traverse complex environments like earthquake rubble. Unlike snake locomotion on flat surfaces which is inherently stable, when…
The immuno-infrared sensor detects target proteins in solution. Exemplary, the initial misfolding of amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides in blood is measured, enabling early risk prediction of Alzheimer's disease in the preclinical stage.…
The dynamics of active viscoelastic surfaces plays an important role in biological systems. One prominent example is the actin cortex, a thin bio-polymer sheet underneath the outer membrane of biological cells which combines active…
In multicellular systems, adhesion complexes, such as those composed of E-cadherin and associated catenins, mechanically couple neighboring cells by directly linking their actin-based cytoskeletal assemblies. However, the mechanics of how…
Snakes can move through almost any terrain. Although their locomotion on flat surfaces using planar gaits is inherently stable, when snakes deform their body out of plane to traverse complex terrain, maintaining stability becomes a…
Small animals and robots must often rapidly traverse large bump-like obstacles when moving through complex 3-D terrains, during which, in addition to leg-ground contact, their body inevitably comes into physical contact with the obstacles.…
It is well known that animals can use neural and sensory feedback via vision, tactile sensing, and echolocation to negotiate obstacles. Similarly, most robots use deliberate or reactive planning to avoid obstacles, which relies on prior…
High-efficiency antiviral surfaces can be effective means to fight against viral diseases such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Copper and copper oxides, as well as their nanoparticles (Cu NPs) and coatings, are among the effective…
Many animals, modern aircraft, and underwater vehicles use streamlined body shapes that reduce fluid dynamic drag to achieve fast and effective locomotion in air and water. Similarly, numerous small terrestrial animals move through…
Many snakes live in deserts, forests, and river valleys and traverse challenging 3-D terrain like rocks, felled trees, and rubble, with obstacles as large as themselves and variable surface properties. By contrast, apart from branch…
Terrestrial animals often must self-right from an upside-down orientation on the ground to survive. Here, we compared self-righting strategies of the Madagascar hissing, American, and discoid cockroaches on a challenging flat, rigid,…
Timely up- or down-regulation of gene expression is crucial for cellular differentiation and function. While gene upregulation via transcriptional activators has been extensively investigated, gene silencing remains understudied, especially…
Many biological materials must couple mechanical strength with the ability to rapidly self-assemble at a specific location. In particular, biomolecular condensates readily self-assemble via phase separation, but may also need to resist…
A fluctuation theorem is examined for the first-passage time of a biomolecular machine (e.g., a motor protein or an enzyme) in a nonequilibrium steady-state. For such machines in which the driven, observable process is coupled to a hidden…
Terrestrial locomotion requires generating appropriate ground reaction forces which depend on substrate geometry and physical properties. The richness of positions and orientations of terrain features in the 3-D world gives limbless animals…
Chromosomal crossovers play a crucial role in meiotic cell division, as they ensure proper chromosome segregation and increase genetic variability. Experiments have consistently revealed two key observations across species: (i) the number…
Directing extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as exosomes and microvesicles, toward specific cells is an emerging focus in nanomedicine, owing to their natural role as carriers of proteins, RNAs, and drugs. EVs can be manipulated by external…
Gastruloids are 3D stem cell aggregate models for early embryogenesis that provide a unique platform to study how collective cell dynamics drive tissue symmetry breaking and axial elongation. Using 3D light sheet imaging, we show that a…