Abstract

While often believed to be only a passive agent that merely exploits its host’s metabolism, the influenza virus has recently been shown to actively roll across glycan-coated surfaces. In this talk we present what we currently know [1] F. Ziebert and I. M. Kulić. How Influenza’s Spike Motor Works. Phys. Rev. Lett. 126:218101 (2021). DOIabout this new form of motility and develop a quantitative physical model. We conclude by discussing the general concept and various instances of a monowheel engine. We show that many filaments beyond influenza, from fishing line to spaghetti, exhibit active rolling propulsion across surfaces when driven out of equilibrium by fluxes traversing the surface. [2] A. Baumann, A. Sánchez-Ferrer, L. Jacomine, P. Martinoty, V. Le Houerou, F. Ziebert & I. M. Kulić. Motorizing fibres with geometric zero-energy mode. Nature Materials 17:523 (2018). DOI