Springtails (Collembola) have been traditionally portrayed as explosive jumpers with incipient directional takeoff and uncontrolled landing. However, for these collembolans that live near the water, such skills are crucial evading a host of voracious aquatic terrestrial predators. We discover semiaquatic springtails, Isotomurus retardatus, can perform jumps, rapid aerial righting, near-perfect landing on water surface. They achieve locomotive controls by adjusting their body attitude impulse...

Can insects weighing mere grams challenge our current understanding of fluid dynamics in urination, jetting fluids like their larger mammalian counterparts? Current urination models, predominantly formulated for mammals, suggest that is confined to animals over 3 kg, owing viscous and surface tension constraints at microscales. Our findings defy this paradigm by demonstrating cicadas—weighing just 2 g—possess the capability through remarkably small orifices. Using dimensional analysis, we...

Abstract Food consumption and waste elimination are vital functions for living systems. Although how feeding impacts animal form function has been studied more than a century since Darwin, its obligate partner, excretion, controls constrains behavior, size, energetics remains largely unexplored. Here we study millimeter-scale sharpshooter insects ( Cicadellidae ) that feed exclusively on plant’s xylem sap, nutrient-deficit source (95% water). To eliminate their high-volume excreta, these...

More than 60 years ago, Richard Feynman gave a lecture titled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom: An Invitation to Enter New Field Physics", where he called on others join then-nascent field nanotechnology. In similar spirit, we wish invite chemists, biologists, physicists, bioengineers, educators, high school students, and inventors all backgrounds us in emerging frugal science. this Review, define science use six case studies describe broad applications science, from synthetic biology...

Five alkylated derivatives of pyrene laterally extended by heteroaromatic or phenyl groups were explored DFT and TD-DFT for spectroscopic, electronic charge transfer properties contrasted to nascent pyrene, tetracene.

The development of membrane-based materials that exhibit the range and robustness autonomic functions found in biological systems remains elusive. Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) have been proposed as building blocks for such materials, owing to their simplicity, geometry, capability replicating cellular phenomena. Similar how individual cells operate together perform complex tasks tissues, networks functionalized DIBs assembled modular/scalable networks. Here we present printing different...

The snap of a finger has been used as form communication and music for millennia across human cultures. However, systematic analysis the dynamics this rapid motion not yet performed. Using high-speed imaging force sensors, we analyse snap. We discover that achieves peak angular accelerations 1.6 × 10 6 ° s −2 in 7 ms, making it one fastest recorded body produces (exceeding professional baseball pitches). Our reveals central role skin friction mediating by acting latch to control resulting...

Cells and microorganisms are motile, yet the stationary nature of conventional microscopes impedes comprehensive, long-term behavioral biomechanical analysis. The limitations twofold: a narrow focus permits high-resolution imaging but sacrifices broader context organism behavior, while wider compromises microscopic detail. This trade-off is especially problematic when investigating rapidly motile ciliates, which often have to be confined small volumes between coverslips affecting their...

The droplet interface bilayer platform allows for the fabrication of stimuli-responsive microfluidic materials, using phospholipids as an organic surfactant in water-in-oil mixtures. In this approach, lipid-coated droplets are adhered together arranged networks, forming lipid membranes with embedded transporters and establishing selective exchange pathways between neighboring aqueous subcompartments. resulting material is a biologically inspired droplet-based that exhibits emergent...

Model lipid bilayer membranes provide approximations of natural cellular that may be formed in the laboratory to study their mechanics and interactions with surrounding environment. A new approach for formation is proposed here based on self-assembly monolayers at oil–water interfaces, creating a lipid-coated hydrogel-tipped electrode produces stable membrane surface when introduced aqueous droplet. Membrane using hydrogel microelectrode tested variety lipids oils. The channel-forming...

Lessons about artificial sensor design may be taken from evolutionarily perfected physiological systems. Mechanosensory cells in human skin are exquisitely sensitive to gentle touch and enable us distinguish objects of different stiffnesses textures. These embedded soft epidermal layers gel-like consistency. Reproducing these mechanosensing capabilities new materials lead the development adaptive mechanosensors which will further enhance abilities engineered membrane-based structures with...

Abstract Cells and microorganisms are motile, yet the stationary nature of conventional microscopes impedes comprehensive, long-term behavioral biomechanical analysis. The limitations twofold: a narrow focus permits high-resolution imaging but sacrifices broader context organism behavior, while wider compromises microscopic detail. This trade-off is especially problematic when investigating rapidly motile ciliates, which often have to be confined small volumes between coverslips affecting...

High-cost DNA extraction procedures pose significant challenges for budget-constrained laboratories. To address this, we introduce OpenCell, an economical, open-source, 3-in-1 laboratory device that combines the functionalities of a bead homogenizer, microcentrifuge, and vortex mixer. OpenCell utilizes modular attachments magnetically connect to central rotating brushless motor. This motor couples epicyclic gearing mechanism, enabling efficient homogenization, mixing, centrifugation within...

The field of developing biomolecular droplet-based materials using a bottom-up approach remains underexplored. Producing tissue-like materials, from entirely synthetic components, presents an innovative method to reconstruct the functions life within artificial materials. Aqueous droplets, encased with lipid monolayers, may be linked via bilayer interfaces make up structures that resemble biological tissues. Here we present design and development easy-to-build 3D printer for fabrication...

A recent achievement in the droplet interface bilayer (DIB) technique is ability to link multiple lipid-encased aqueous droplets an oil medium construct a membrane-based network. Highly flexible, efficient and durable compared other lipid modeling techniques, these systems establish framework for creation of biocompatible stimuli-responsive smart materials with applications ranging from biosensing reliable micro-actuation. Incorporating ferrofluids into this platform has proven accelerate...

Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) is an Electo-Active (EAP) that well-known for its actuation and sensing behavior. It has been shown in charge mode IPMC generates one order of magnitude larger current as compared to piezoelectric materials. However the voltage generated on couple millivolts, making it less attractive a sensor energy harvester. Previous numerical work by author, demonstrated increasing ionic concentration ionomer will increase IPMC. Conversely, previous study showed...

Ionic Polymer Metal Composites (IPMCs) are known to be compliant, reliable and able produce a large current when deformed under wide range of frequencies. In previous study, our group demonstrated that cylindrical IPMC hair-like transducers can used as mechano-electrical sensors. this paper we characterize the sensing performance sensor present methodologies on how increase its sensitivity while reducing size. Furthermore an array 4 hair-cell sensors is built characterized for tactile...

Multiple lipid encased water droplets may be linked together in oil to form large networks of droplet interface bilayers thus creating a new class stimuli-responsive materials for applications sensing, actuation, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. While single have been extensively studied, comparatively little is known about their interaction networks. One particular problem interest understanding the impact coalescence two neighboring on overall structural integrity network. Here, we...

Hair-like sensors are very common in natural and biological systems. Such used to measure acoustic pressures, fluid flows, chemical concentrations among others. actuators also control flows perform temperature management. This study presents a manufacturing technique for hair-like IPMC transducer. A thorough is presented on the building process of sensor. The method diameter electrodes thickness transducer developed. sensing behavior manufactured transducers experimentally characterized.

High-cost DNA extraction procedures pose significant challenges for budget-constrained laboratories. To address this, we introduce OpenCell, an economical, open-source, 3-in-1 laboratory device that combines the functionalities of a bead homogenizer, microcentrifuge, and vortex mixer. OpenCell utilizes modular attachments magnetically connect to central rotating brushless motor. This motor couples epicyclic gearing mechanism, enabling efficient homogenization, mixing, centrifugation within...