Full Text:
None of us would be alive if sperm cells didn’t know how to swim, or if the cilia in our lungs couldn’t prevent fluid buildup. But we know very little about the dynamics of so-called “living fluids,” those containing cells, microorganisms or other biological structures. Understanding the behavior of living fluids starts with understanding the swimmers themselves.
With that goal in mind, a lab group conducted a study examining the swimming dynamics of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular green alga that propels itself with two whip-like flagella, in fluids exhibiting a range of properties.Image credit: The University of Pennsylvania
