News - Page 3 of 14

6th February 2025

Figure 1: Aspect ratio is a crucial network building block property, defining network formation, architecture, and mechanics in synthetic and living systems. (Left) Schematic representation of the aspect ratios (AR) of protein L polyprotein constructs and fibrin proto-fibers. (Middle) A schematic representation of the two dominated formation regimes: translation diffusion limited (TDL) where building blocks can only interact by translating their centre of mass; and rotationally diffusion limited (RDL) where building blocks are able to interact purely via rotation about their centre of mass. (Right) The fitted increase in mechanical rigidity as a function of aspect ratio with inserted schematics showing the change in structural topology as the system transitions from TDL to RDL formation above the critical aspect ratio, ARc. Copyright: Image partly published in Hughes M. D. G. et al., Nat. Commun. 14, 5593 (2023) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

6th February 2025

Biology Exploits Geometry

Impact of Aspect Ratio on Protein Network Assembly: Scientists at SoftComp partner University of Leeds and STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, have made an exciting discovery about the functional advantages of high aspect... (Read more)

5th February 2025

SoftComp webinar: Prof. Randall Kemian – 20 February 2025, 15:00 CET

Novel experiment opens up possibility of studying collective dynamics providing insight for better drug... (Read more)

5th February 2025

Fi. 1: Schematic illustrating the role of GRP phase transitions in the formation of the tick cement cone. Copyright: authors

5th February 2025

Tricks from Ticks

Phase separation and ageing of glycine-rich protein: A study has shed new light on the mysterious adhesive mechanisms of ticks. The research delves into the phase separation and ageing of glycine-rich protein from... (Read more)

29th January 2025

Figure: Unified state diagram for the fluidization transition. For small deformation amplitudes, soft systems exhibit solid-like dynamics (blue points) with low fluidity, namely very large spontaneous relaxation times. As the deformation amplitude increases, soft systems undergo the fluidization transition (gray points), characterized by the coexistence of two types of dynamics (solid and fluid). They are eventually fluidized at very large deformations, where the microscopic dynamics resemble those of a liquid. (Copyright © 2023: the authors)

29th January 2025

Uncovering the Microscopic Origin of Fluidization

A unified state diagram for the yielding transition of soft colloids: The SoftComp partner CNRS Montpellier, France (Laboratory Charles Coulomb Laboratory, CNRS and University of Montpellier) and the Center for Soft Matter Research... (Read more)