Physics Seminar - Biological physics in the third domain: archaeal extremophiles
This is a past event.
Friday, August 28, 2020 at 1:00pm to 2:15pm
Virtual EventDr. Laurence Wilson of the University of York (UK) will kick off the Physics department graduate seminars this semester with a biophysics talk.
Biological physics in the third domain: archaeal extremophiles
Abstract:
Archaea have evolved to survive in some of the most extreme environments on earth. Life in extreme, nutrient-poor conditions gives the opportunity to probe fundamental energy limitations on movement and response to stimuli, two essential markers of living systems. Here we use three-dimensional holographic microscopy and computer simulations to show that halophilic archaea achieve chemotaxis with power requirements one hundred-fold lower than common eubacterial model systems. Their swimming direction is stabilised by their flagella (archaella), enhancing directional persistence in a manner similar to that displayed by eubacteria, albeit with a different motility apparatus. Our experiments and simulations reveal that the cells are capable of slow but deterministic chemotaxis up a chemical gradient, in a biased random walk at the thermodynamic limit.
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- College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Department of Physics, School of Integrated Science and Humanity
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