Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Deep Sea Microbial Ecology

Deep Sea Microbial Ecology

The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...

Flagella and Motility in Bacteria

Flagella and Motility in Bacteria

Flagella are specialized, thread-like structures that extend from a bacteria's cell envelope. They play a crucial role in motility and chemotaxis. Their structural organization and functioning exemplify sophisticated biological engineering, enabling bacterial survival and adaptability in diverse environments.Structure of the FlagellumA bacterial flagellum consists of three key components: the filament, the hook, and basal body. The filament, a long, helical structure composed of repeating...

Other Unique Bacteria

Other Unique Bacteria

Magnetic bacteria exhibit a directed movement called magnetotaxis, driven by structures called magnetosomes. These magnetosomes consist of chains of magnetic particles made of either magnetite (Fe₃O₄) or greigite (Fe₃S₄) and are organized in a linear conformation by a protein scaffold within invaginations of the cell membrane. The bacteria align along the north–south magnetic field lines, much like a compass needle. They are typically microaerophilic or anaerobic and are commonly found near the...

Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bioelectrochemical devices that generate electricity by exploiting the metabolic processes of electrogenic bacteria. These systems provide a renewable energy source and serve as an innovative method for treating organic waste, such as wastewater.A typical MFC consists of two chambers: an anoxic (oxygen-free) compartment that houses the bacteria and an oxic (oxygen-rich) compartment that contains oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor. Many MFCs use proton...

Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments

Fimbriae, Pili, and Axial Filaments

Fimbriae and pili are specialized bacterial surface structures that play pivotal roles in adhesion, genetic exchange, and motility. Composed primarily of pilin protein, these hairlike appendages are crucial for bacterial survival and pathogenicity in various environments.Fimbriae: Adhesion and PathogenicityFimbriae are fine, filamentous structures measuring 2–10 nanometers in diameter and are densely distributed on the bacterial cell surface. They facilitate bacterial adhesion to abiotic...

Microbial Morphologies

Microbial Morphologies

Bacterial and archaeal cells exhibit remarkable diversity in shape and structure, critical in their adaptability and functionality. Among bacteria, the most commonly observed shapes include cocci and bacilli. Cocci are spherical and may exist singly or in groupings such as pairs (diplococci), chains (streptococci), clusters (staphylococci), or tetrads. Bacilli, in contrast, are rod-shaped and can also occur as single cells, in pairs, or chains, depending on their environmental and genetic...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Spatial Activity Patterning and Topological Defect Transport in Acoustically Energized Active Liquid Crystals.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Diffractive wavefront correction for Fe L-edge spectroscopy on the meV scale.

Journal of synchrotron radiation·2026

Same author

The Fragility of Bioactivity Prediction: Rigorous Dataset Splits Expose the Illusion of ML Accuracy.

Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Macroscopic Convective Fluid Flows Arising From Binding of Ions and Small Molecules to Proteins.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Characterization and fabrication of high-performance B<sub>4</sub>C-coated mirrors for X-ray free-electron lasers.

Applied optics·2026

Same author

Hybrid Computational Strategy for Predicting Complex Ligand-Metal Architectures.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Studies of Bacterial Chemotaxis Using Microfluidics - Interview

Studies of Bacterial Chemotaxis Using Microfluidics - Interview

Published on: May 28, 2007

Swimming bacteria power microscopic gears.

Andrey Sokolov¹, Mario M Apodaca, Bartosz A Grzybowski

¹Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|January 19, 2010

Summary

Aerobic bacteria Bacillus subtilis can power microscopic gears through collective motion in a fluid film. Gear rotation speed is controllable by oxygen levels, demonstrating potential for microorganism-driven mechanical systems.

More Related Videos

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series

Published on: May 10, 2020

$Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction$

Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction

Published on: October 25, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Studies of Bacterial Chemotaxis Using Microfluidics - Interview

Studies of Bacterial Chemotaxis Using Microfluidics - Interview

Published on: May 28, 2007

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series

Published on: May 10, 2020

$Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction$

Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction

Published on: October 25, 2012

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Biophysics
Mechanical Engineering

Background:

Thermodynamics prohibits work extraction from equilibrium Brownian motion.
Nonequilibrium conditions allow rectification of random particle motion.
Asymmetric obstacles can rectify Brownian motion.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe a system where bacteria power mechanical gears.
To investigate control mechanisms for microorganism-driven machines.

Main Methods:

Utilizing aerobic bacteria Bacillus subtilis in a fluid film.
Employing submillimeter gears with asymmetric teeth.
Observing collective bacterial swimming and gear rotation.

Main Results:

Bacillus subtilis powered submillimeter gears.
Directional gear rotation observed during collective bacterial swimming.
Gear angular velocities were dependent on and controllable by oxygen availability.

Conclusions:

Collective bacterial motion can be harnessed to power mechanical systems.
Oxygen levels provide a controllable parameter for microorganism-driven gears.
This work is crucial for developing future micro-mechanical devices powered by microorganisms.