Bacterial Dynamics: Life at Low Reynolds Numbers
As microscopic organisms, bacteria are governed by an entirely different set of dynamics than their macroscopic counterparts. At that size, inertia becomes irrelevant, and bacteria are forced to rely on ingenious mechanisms in order to move. This talk will review the mechanics behind three types of bacterial movement: propulsion via rotating flagella, twitching motility and bacterial gliding, and explore how these movements in conjunction with chemotaxis and Brownian motion lead to large scale pattern formation.