Browse our latest Physics of Living Systems articles

A three-dimensional description of the cytoskeletal arrangement, cytoplasmic flows, and cargo transport in stage 9 Drosophila oocytes accurately reproduces mRNA localizations in wild-type and mutant oocytes.

Autonomous patterns of cell contraction in the context of localized apical extracellular matrix constraints specify tissue stresses that reshape the wing epithelium.

Perturbations in the extracellular environment drive transitions from a highly stable memory state to an alternative phenotype in microorganisms.

The kinetics of actin polymerization are strongly influenced by the binding of proteins to the lateral filament surface.

Deep penetration and transmission of mechanical force to regulate ER functions depends on not only the passive cytoskeletal support, but also the active actomyosin contractility, which is dispensable for mechanotransduction at the plasma membrane.

Precise control of microtubule architecture greatly increases the force that the spindle can exert on chromosomes.

The actomyosin cytoskeleton generates active chiral torques that lead to left-right asymmetry in C. elegans embryos.

A new and general mechanism describes the organization of membrane proteins and their cytoplasmic ligands into micrometer-scale clusters, based on polymerization and concomitant phase separation of multivalent proteins.

A general method for inferring fitness from a sample of nucleotide sequences can predict the progenitor of next year's seasonal influenza.