Speaker
Description
Living organisms rely on flows to perform essential functions that range from swimming and feeding in unicellular organisms to mucus clearance in humans. These flows are generated by the integrated activity of thousands of micrometer scale active filaments, known as cilia. Collections of cilia exhibit highly stereotypical temporal patterns, namely metachronal waves. While temporal patterns of cilia coordination have been observed in cells for decades, the mechanisms underlying their formation and their contribution to flow generation remain unclear. In my talk I will discuss measurements of the geometric and dynamic properties of metachronal waves in ciliated swimmers. Performing precise measurements and perturbations of temporal patterning in cilia arrays will enable the identification of the mechanisms underlying metachronal wave and macroscopic flow generation. An integrated view that seeks to link cilia dynamics with flow structure will significantly increase our understanding of the physiology of cilia arrays. Beyond their physiological significance, arrays of cilia provide an accessible experimental platform to explore the physics of multi scale pattern formation.
