Research News

Flow velocity in the gut regulates nutrient absorption and bacterial growth more

The Italian Physical Society awards the "Premio Enrico Fermi" to the director emeritus of the MPI-DS more

Researchers from Göttingen and Twente reveal physical mechanisms behind the movement of microswimmers more

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) in Göttingen, Germany, and Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, have developed a new theoretical method to study mixtures consisting of many different molecules. They analyzed how the molecules interact to reliably form different droplets, as happens continuously in living cells. With this model, particular droplet formation based on many interacting molecules can be predicted for the first time. The findings were recently published in the scientific journal PNAS. more

A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded for the first time in producing a molecular electric motor using the DNA origami method. The tiny machine made of genetic material self-assembles and converts electrical energy into kinetic energy. The new nanomotors can be switched on and off, and the researchers can control the rotation speed and rotational direction. more

When different cell types compete in a confined space, those which remove debris faster have a better chance to dominate their environment. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) showed in their model that not only a higher net proliferation rate, but also the swift removal of dead cells provides a competitive advantage. They mixed two cell populations only differing in debris removal rate and showed that already after a few generations the population with the higher removal rate starts to dominate the confined space. more

Networks adapt over time and in this way form a kind of memory. This is the key finding of a new study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen and the Technical University of Munich. They show that the structure of blood vascular network is dynamic and can adapt to external factors. In particular, the scientists found that rarely used connections are weakening more and more until they disappear eventually. more

Mirna Elizabeta Kramar from the MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organization and Jascha Lau & Michael Weber from the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences receive the Otto Hahn Medal for outstanding achievements in their dissertations. Lau is additionally honored with the Otto Hahn Award for the special quality of his research. The Max Planck Society presented the awards at its annual meeting on June 22.
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The Department Living Matter Physics from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) revealed a link between the generation of entropy and the topological features of a system. In their study, recently published in Nature Communications, the scientists investigated the random motion of particles in vortex flows. They found that fluctuations in entropy production can be characterized based only on the number of windings around the vortex, but not on the shape or size of the trajectory. These findings could contribute to a better understanding of microscopic systems, such as micro-motors or particles moving in biological media. more

A group of scientists led by Nate Cira of Harvard and Cornell University and Stefan Karpitschka of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization has discovered that some liquid droplets first spread out on surfaces and then contract again on their own. This boomerang effect depends on the composition of the droplets. Since these leave virtually no traces when they contract, unlike conventional drying, this opens up new possibilities for cleaning and removing particles from sensitive surfaces such as microchips. more