Joel Marthelot
@joelmarthelot.bsky.social
Pinned
Joel Marthelot
@joelmarthelot.bsky.social
· Dec 11
Fresh off the press, our work on wing deployment in Drosophila 🪰:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Work by: Simon Hadjaje, Ignacio Andrade-Silva, Marie-Julie Dalbe and Raphaël Clément
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Work by: Simon Hadjaje, Ignacio Andrade-Silva, Marie-Julie Dalbe and Raphaël Clément
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Our work on hydrodynamic instabilities in active jets is on the cover of PRL this week!
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
A dialogue between experiment and theory, where we use light to control active suspensions and show how they can be destabilized by their self-generated flows
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
A dialogue between experiment and theory, where we use light to control active suspensions and show how they can be destabilized by their self-generated flows
Pure Hydrodynamic Instabilities in Active Jets of Puller Microalgae
Using phototaxis to control cell orientation, various instabilities can be induced in jets of motile microalgae.
journals.aps.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Our work on hydrodynamic instabilities in active jets is on the cover of PRL this week!
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
A dialogue between experiment and theory, where we use light to control active suspensions and show how they can be destabilized by their self-generated flows
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
A dialogue between experiment and theory, where we use light to control active suspensions and show how they can be destabilized by their self-generated flows
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Coaxing tiny, self-propelled particles into cohesive structures provides one route to making micromachines. Taking a step in that direction, researchers have measured and analyzed the mechanical properties of materials assembled from active particles.
Active Matter Gets Solid
Researchers have determined the mechanical properties of a tiny beam made of active particles, laying the groundwork for future micromachines.
physics.aps.org
November 3, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Coaxing tiny, self-propelled particles into cohesive structures provides one route to making micromachines. Taking a step in that direction, researchers have measured and analyzed the mechanical properties of materials assembled from active particles.
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Excited to be at ICTS for the school on Geometry, Mechanics and the Physics of Growth, co-organized with Ganga Prasath (IITM) and @joelmarthelot.bsky.social (Aix-Marseille)! Fantastic start with a lecture on continuum elasticity by @abigailplummer.bsky.social (BU)
November 3, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Excited to be at ICTS for the school on Geometry, Mechanics and the Physics of Growth, co-organized with Ganga Prasath (IITM) and @joelmarthelot.bsky.social (Aix-Marseille)! Fantastic start with a lecture on continuum elasticity by @abigailplummer.bsky.social (BU)
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Really excited to present the results of a fantastic collaboration with Jesse Veenvliet @jesseveenvliet.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @poldresden.bsky.social 🤩
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 28, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Really excited to present the results of a fantastic collaboration with Jesse Veenvliet @jesseveenvliet.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @poldresden.bsky.social 🤩
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Static electricity may be key to helping a tiny roundworm latch onto its insect hosts.
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
October 21, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Static electricity may be key to helping a tiny roundworm latch onto its insect hosts.
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
Like a heat-seeking missile, the parasite zooms up to 10 millimeters in the air before getting yanked toward its target by nothing more than the electrostatic charge of its host. https://scim.ag/3WKFVjZ
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Sharpen your knives! High-speed video analysis reveals that blunt knives and faster cutting speeds release more eye-irritating droplets from onions by building pressure under the onion’s skin before the ejection of the tear-inducing aerosols. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/5rc750Xcvhj
October 16, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Sharpen your knives! High-speed video analysis reveals that blunt knives and faster cutting speeds release more eye-irritating droplets from onions by building pressure under the onion’s skin before the ejection of the tear-inducing aerosols. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/5rc750Xcvhj
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Appreciate Quanta for shining a light on our joint work with Simon Gsell, Sham Tlili (@shamtlili.bsky.social), and Matthias Merkel (@merkellab.bsky.social).
Biophysicists are realizing that there is an undervalued element at play in early development: Aside from genes, mechanical forces also steer the growth of embryos. @annademming.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/genes-have-h...
Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Help Grow Living Things | Quanta Magazine
The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development.
www.quantamagazine.org
October 11, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Appreciate Quanta for shining a light on our joint work with Simon Gsell, Sham Tlili (@shamtlili.bsky.social), and Matthias Merkel (@merkellab.bsky.social).
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Did you know you can manipulate hundreds of microparticles using phototactic algae?
This is what we show in our last preprint, led by T. Laroussi and J. Bouvard: arxiv.org/abs/2509.08133
🧵👇
This is what we show in our last preprint, led by T. Laroussi and J. Bouvard: arxiv.org/abs/2509.08133
🧵👇
October 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Did you know you can manipulate hundreds of microparticles using phototactic algae?
This is what we show in our last preprint, led by T. Laroussi and J. Bouvard: arxiv.org/abs/2509.08133
🧵👇
This is what we show in our last preprint, led by T. Laroussi and J. Bouvard: arxiv.org/abs/2509.08133
🧵👇
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
🍀🔬
MSL10 is a high-sensitivity mechanosensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap @natcomms.nature.com from Toyota lab.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
MSL10 is a high-sensitivity mechanosensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap @natcomms.nature.com from Toyota lab.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 1, 2025 at 2:57 PM
🍀🔬
MSL10 is a high-sensitivity mechanosensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap @natcomms.nature.com from Toyota lab.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
MSL10 is a high-sensitivity mechanosensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap @natcomms.nature.com from Toyota lab.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Psst, your students want to hang out in Boulder next July. Application deadline is Jan. 15.
www.colorado.edu/conference/b...
www.colorado.edu/conference/b...
October 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Psst, your students want to hang out in Boulder next July. Application deadline is Jan. 15.
www.colorado.edu/conference/b...
www.colorado.edu/conference/b...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
A paper in Nature shows that parachute designs inspired by kirigami — the Japanese art of paper cutting to produce 3D designs — are stable and fall close to their target. These findings could simplify parachute manufacturing, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. go.nature.com/473OMmK 🧪
October 7, 2025 at 1:57 AM
A paper in Nature shows that parachute designs inspired by kirigami — the Japanese art of paper cutting to produce 3D designs — are stable and fall close to their target. These findings could simplify parachute manufacturing, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. go.nature.com/473OMmK 🧪
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Cutting a pattern into a flat disc can transform it into a parachute capable of carrying small payloads
go.nature.com/4nsKfA7
go.nature.com/4nsKfA7
Parachutes inspired by the Japanese art of kirigami
Cutting a pattern into a flat disc can transform it into a parachute capable of carrying small payloads, which might be used to deliver humanitarian aid
go.nature.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Cutting a pattern into a flat disc can transform it into a parachute capable of carrying small payloads
go.nature.com/4nsKfA7
go.nature.com/4nsKfA7
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
A ring of cells deforms into a triangular keyhole in just 15 minutes. Meet the hindgut, a model for boundary-driven morphogenesis!
Out now in @pnas.org at doi.org/10.1073/pnas... with @zhaoshh.bsky.social, Alex Jacinto, Eric Wieschaus, Stas Shvartsman, @lepuslapis.bsky.social (1/8)
Out now in @pnas.org at doi.org/10.1073/pnas... with @zhaoshh.bsky.social, Alex Jacinto, Eric Wieschaus, Stas Shvartsman, @lepuslapis.bsky.social (1/8)
September 18, 2025 at 8:32 PM
A ring of cells deforms into a triangular keyhole in just 15 minutes. Meet the hindgut, a model for boundary-driven morphogenesis!
Out now in @pnas.org at doi.org/10.1073/pnas... with @zhaoshh.bsky.social, Alex Jacinto, Eric Wieschaus, Stas Shvartsman, @lepuslapis.bsky.social (1/8)
Out now in @pnas.org at doi.org/10.1073/pnas... with @zhaoshh.bsky.social, Alex Jacinto, Eric Wieschaus, Stas Shvartsman, @lepuslapis.bsky.social (1/8)
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
New paper on precise tool use learning in carrion crows @currentbiology.bsky.social. We show that—like New Caledonian crows—expert carrion crows pay close attention to the working end of their tool, suggesting tool integration into their peripersonal space. 🧵 & vids! 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
September 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
New paper on precise tool use learning in carrion crows @currentbiology.bsky.social. We show that—like New Caledonian crows—expert carrion crows pay close attention to the working end of their tool, suggesting tool integration into their peripersonal space. 🧵 & vids! 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
New short paper from our lab @currentbiology.bsky.social, in which we discover of a new mode of cell motility for choanoflagellates: flagellar gliding. www.cell.com/current-biol... - A 🧵
Flagellar gliding in choanoflagellates
Freire-Delgado and Brunet discover a new mode of cell motility in choanoflagellates,
the closest relatives of animals. Under mild confinement, choanoflagellate move over
surfaces without cell deformat...
www.cell.com
September 9, 2025 at 6:12 PM
New short paper from our lab @currentbiology.bsky.social, in which we discover of a new mode of cell motility for choanoflagellates: flagellar gliding. www.cell.com/current-biol... - A 🧵
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
New #preprint: "Control of lumen morphology by lateral and basal cell surfaces", a great #biophysics collaboration with Chandraniva Guha Ray, @markusmukenhirn.bsky.social, Alf Honigmann @biotec-tud.bsky.social @poldresden.bsky.social.
arxiv.org/abs/2509.04316
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de
arxiv.org/abs/2509.04316
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de
September 5, 2025 at 8:59 AM
New #preprint: "Control of lumen morphology by lateral and basal cell surfaces", a great #biophysics collaboration with Chandraniva Guha Ray, @markusmukenhirn.bsky.social, Alf Honigmann @biotec-tud.bsky.social @poldresden.bsky.social.
arxiv.org/abs/2509.04316
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de
arxiv.org/abs/2509.04316
@mpipks.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
Dresden researchers @paveltomancak.bsky.social @bruvellu.bsky.social, Carl Modes, @cuencam15.bsky.social & colleagues published in @nature.com that a tissue fold in fruit fly embryos buffers mechanical stresses & may have evolved in response to mechanical forces. www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreac...
Mechanical forces drive evolutionary change
A small tissue fold present in fruit fly embryos buffers mechanical stresses and may have evolved in response to mechanical forces.
www.mpi-cbg.de
September 3, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Dresden researchers @paveltomancak.bsky.social @bruvellu.bsky.social, Carl Modes, @cuencam15.bsky.social & colleagues published in @nature.com that a tissue fold in fruit fly embryos buffers mechanical stresses & may have evolved in response to mechanical forces. www.mpi-cbg.de/news-outreac...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
The secret to shrew brain shrinkage? 🤔
Not cell loss, but water loss!
Our new paper shows that brain cells shrink by losing water, a wild feat of brain plasticity 🤯
Check the paper!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social @labdavalos.bsky.social @batichica.bsky.social
Not cell loss, but water loss!
Our new paper shows that brain cells shrink by losing water, a wild feat of brain plasticity 🤯
Check the paper!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social @labdavalos.bsky.social @batichica.bsky.social
Programmed seasonal brain shrinkage in the common shrew via water loss without cell death
Brain plasticity, the brain’s inherent ability to adapt its structure and function, is crucial for responding to environmental challenges but is usual…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:06 PM
The secret to shrew brain shrinkage? 🤔
Not cell loss, but water loss!
Our new paper shows that brain cells shrink by losing water, a wild feat of brain plasticity 🤯
Check the paper!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social @labdavalos.bsky.social @batichica.bsky.social
Not cell loss, but water loss!
Our new paper shows that brain cells shrink by losing water, a wild feat of brain plasticity 🤯
Check the paper!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social @labdavalos.bsky.social @batichica.bsky.social
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
New preprint! 🚨 We uncover a slow adaptation to stretch that links star-bundling of keratin filaments with nuclear escape from its keratin cage. Led by @tomgolde.bsky.social 🙌
@IBECBarcelona
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
@IBECBarcelona
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 1, 2025 at 3:31 PM
New preprint! 🚨 We uncover a slow adaptation to stretch that links star-bundling of keratin filaments with nuclear escape from its keratin cage. Led by @tomgolde.bsky.social 🙌
@IBECBarcelona
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
@IBECBarcelona
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
We learned a lot about plant cell wall mechanics by stretching the Arabidopsis epidermis. Now published in
@natcomms.nature.com Fibrous network nature of plant cell walls enables tunable mechanics for development
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
@natcomms.nature.com Fibrous network nature of plant cell walls enables tunable mechanics for development
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
August 28, 2025 at 2:44 AM
We learned a lot about plant cell wall mechanics by stretching the Arabidopsis epidermis. Now published in
@natcomms.nature.com Fibrous network nature of plant cell walls enables tunable mechanics for development
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
@natcomms.nature.com Fibrous network nature of plant cell walls enables tunable mechanics for development
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
How do #honeybees adapt their comb-building to different spatial constraints? A new study from @oritpeleg.bsky.social &co uses 3D printed panels and X-ray microscopy to reveal the existence of three distinct construction modes, from tilting cells to building complex 3D structures.🧪
plos.io/4n1g6Hs
plos.io/4n1g6Hs
Honeybees adapt to a range of comb cell sizes by merging, tilting, and layering their construction
Honeybees often need to build their comb under conditions that prevent a regular hexagonal lattice. This study uses 3D printed panels and X-ray microscopy to explore their adaptive process when differ...
plos.io
August 27, 2025 at 9:42 AM
How do #honeybees adapt their comb-building to different spatial constraints? A new study from @oritpeleg.bsky.social &co uses 3D printed panels and X-ray microscopy to reveal the existence of three distinct construction modes, from tilting cells to building complex 3D structures.🧪
plos.io/4n1g6Hs
plos.io/4n1g6Hs
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
What could be more exciting than watching Euplotes scurry around under the microscope? How about adding some raptorial predation by supergiant cannibal cells?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Video by Vittorio Boscaro.
1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Video by Vittorio Boscaro.
1/n
August 26, 2025 at 8:56 PM
What could be more exciting than watching Euplotes scurry around under the microscope? How about adding some raptorial predation by supergiant cannibal cells?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Video by Vittorio Boscaro.
1/n
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Video by Vittorio Boscaro.
1/n
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
New paper in PLOS Biology: as we raise the difficulty of our 3D printed puzzles, bees keep landing on combs with ever stranger hexagonal order! 🐝
Led by the brilliant Golnar Gharooni Fard, in collaboration with CK Prasanna & FL Jiménez
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Led by the brilliant Golnar Gharooni Fard, in collaboration with CK Prasanna & FL Jiménez
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
August 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM
New paper in PLOS Biology: as we raise the difficulty of our 3D printed puzzles, bees keep landing on combs with ever stranger hexagonal order! 🐝
Led by the brilliant Golnar Gharooni Fard, in collaboration with CK Prasanna & FL Jiménez
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Led by the brilliant Golnar Gharooni Fard, in collaboration with CK Prasanna & FL Jiménez
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
How do tiny ripple bugs surf raging rivers? Check out our new work in @science.org
Work led by Victor Ortega-Jimenez, Dongjin Kim, Sunny Kumar, Changhwan Kim, Je-Sung Koh, and Saad Bhamla - a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and Ajou University.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Work led by Victor Ortega-Jimenez, Dongjin Kim, Sunny Kumar, Changhwan Kim, Je-Sung Koh, and Saad Bhamla - a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and Ajou University.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ultrafast elastocapillary fans control agile maneuvering in ripple bugs and robots
Rhagovelia ripple bugs use specialized middle-leg fans with a flat-ribbon architecture to navigate the surfaces of fast-moving streams. We show that the fan’s directional stiffness enables fast, passi...
www.science.org
August 23, 2025 at 8:37 PM
How do tiny ripple bugs surf raging rivers? Check out our new work in @science.org
Work led by Victor Ortega-Jimenez, Dongjin Kim, Sunny Kumar, Changhwan Kim, Je-Sung Koh, and Saad Bhamla - a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and Ajou University.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Work led by Victor Ortega-Jimenez, Dongjin Kim, Sunny Kumar, Changhwan Kim, Je-Sung Koh, and Saad Bhamla - a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and Ajou University.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Joel Marthelot
🚰 Fluid inertia limits microporous flow efficiency, out in EPJ Plus this week, with Kaare Jensen @jensen-research.bsky.social rdcu.be/eBV2C 👇
August 22, 2025 at 3:35 PM
🚰 Fluid inertia limits microporous flow efficiency, out in EPJ Plus this week, with Kaare Jensen @jensen-research.bsky.social rdcu.be/eBV2C 👇