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VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:UW-Madison-Physics-Events
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SEQUENCE:0
UID:UW-Physics-Event-3233
DTSTART:20140203T220000Z
DURATION:PT1H0M0S
DTSTAMP:20260419T193701Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20140203T152556Z
LOCATION:4274 Chamberlin Hall
SUMMARY:CANCELED--Mechanics and self-organization of motor-driven fila
 mentous assemblies: from swimming sperm to active gels\, Faculty Candi
 date Seminar\, Daniel Chen\, Brandeis University
DESCRIPTION:A fascinating feature of living matter is that mechanical 
 tasks at large length scales are routinely accomplished with exquisite
  precision by the cooperative action of millions of nanometer-sized mo
 lecular motors and fibers. Examples range from cellular motility and d
 ivision to muscle actuation. From a technological standpoint\, it woul
 d be highly desirable to spawn materials that could inherit\, at least
  in part\, this ability. In this vein\, I will describe two biological
  motor-driven filamentous assemblies that exemplify these remarkable p
 roperties and our efforts to both fundamentally understand them and to
  create new functional materials with them. In first part I will descr
 ibe the creation of active gels comprised of purified microtubules and
  motor proteins that consume chemical energy in the form of ATP. Unlik
 e equilibrium polymer gels\, these gels are capable of continuous stru
 ctural remodeling that can drive internal fluid flows and macroscopic 
 motility. In the second part I describe a new experimental platform to
  measure ATP consumption in swimming sea urchin sperm at the single-ce
 ll level. These measurements provide new insight into long-standing qu
 estions about mechanical regulation of periodic beating in flagella. T
 ogether\, these systems highlight the need for new approaches from sof
 t matter physics to understand the unique stress-structure-dynamics re
 lationships intrinsic to motor-driven biological materials.
URL:https://www.physics.wisc.edu/events/?id=3233
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