Article in PNAS

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are among the most significant life forms in our planet’s history. They caused the formation of an oxygen atmosphere, which enabled the evolution of more complex organisms. Filamentous cyanobacteria can glide on surfaces and react to changes in environmental conditions by reversing their gliding direction. In the new study, we investigated a novel navigation mechanism whereby the filaments move straight through water, but bend and turn to the right on dry substrate. We developed a theoretical model that established a connection between helicity of the gliding motion and the curvature of the track. This research was conducted in collaboration with the experimental group of Dr. Vahid Nasirimarekani at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) in Göttingen, Germany.

Published in: A. Vilfan, L. Abbaspour, S. Villa in V. Nasirimarekani, “Chiral gliding: Right-handed navigation of filamentous cyanobacteria”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123: e2534547123 (2026), https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2534547123