The takeaway: whether a microswimmer gets stuck in soft matter depends not only on how crowded the medium is, but on whether it can rearrange it.
Work done at @pcc-wur.bsky.social @w-u-r.bsky.social, in collaboration with @nicoschramma.bsky.social.
Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2610.14805
arxiv.org
Active remodeling rescues a microswimmer from geometric trapping
Natural habitats confront microorganisms with heterogeneous, mechanically complex surroundings that shape how they move and explore. Most studies of motility in complex media treat the environment as ...