The theory of micro-hairs

Tiny hairs on the outer wall of some cells can move in different directions, thereby influencing each other Tiny hairs on cell walls, so-called -cilia-, can move in unison to pump fluid. Now there finally is a physical theory describing these hairs' movements. They are only very simple structures, but without them we could not survive: Countless tiny hairs (cilia) are found on the outer wall of some cells, for example in our lungs or in our brain. When these micrometre-sized hairs coordinate their movement and produce wave-like movements together, they can cause currents on a microscale and thus pump fluid from one place to another. Paramecia - unicellular organisms with numerous cilia - also use such effects to move around. How the synchronisation of such micro-hairs comes about and what effects it has - such questions have so far only been studied in large computer simulations. However, more than a few thousand hairs cannot be simulated in this way.