Browse Physics

Researchers apply a new experimental approach to visualize the turbulent motion of swimming bacteria and propose a minimal model that captures their observations.

The circular swimming motion of self-propelled, L-shaped microparticles may provide insight into microorganisms that are similarly lacking in symmetry.

Experiments show that blood plasma has elastic properties that could influence the way blood flows through small vessels.

Orderly flow in fluid extracted from a living cell results from the spontaneous organization of randomly-oriented, microscopic forces.

With a simple ball and stick model, theorists explain how the two flagella on a swimming alga become synchronized.

Paper pyramids hovering in an oscillating air column enlighten us about the stability of flying insects.

By swimming collectively, bacterial cells swim faster than they would in isolation.

The swimming motion of organisms in complex fluids is hindered by elasticity.

Direct measurements show that the fluid flow around swimming microorganisms is more complex than previously thought, with important implications for how they interact and behave.

An alternative to a needle for penetrating cells may be found in the precise and forceful fluid jet created by two bubbles expanding and collapsing in tandem.

Simulations show that when a particle trapped in a fluid-filled pipe moves, it can affect distant particles in the pipe and even pull them in the opposite direction.

Experiments show that swimming microorganisms can change a fluid’s viscosity. Not all of the effects can be explained by current theories.

Simulations provide insight into how viscous flow transforms the shapes of red blood cells, which may influence their physiological properties.

A new technique provides a 3-D view of the organized motion of swimming bacteria.

Some of the most ingenious ideas for designing microfluidic systems come from observing plants and animals. A study that quantifies the protein-driven helical flow of liquid in large plant cells, for instance, may well inspire micron-scale liquid mixers and sensors.