Topic description and stories

Stylised image of swimming sperm cells

Sperm against the stream

27 May 2014

Research may explain how sperm travel long distances, through difficult terrain, to reach an egg.

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Algal cell swimming towards a wall

Microswimmers hit the wall

07 Jan 2013

New research reveals what happens when swimming cells such as spermatozoa and algae hit a solid wall, and has implications for applications in...

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Mentzelia lindleyi

How flowers use a touch of bling to woo the bees

04 Jul 2011

Beetles use it, birds use it. Plants use it too. Iridescence is the shimmery colour effect that makes things eye-catching.

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Green Algae

Scientists discover ‘dancing’ algae

21 Apr 2009

Scientists at Cambridge University have discovered that freshwater algae can form stable groupings in which they dance around each other...

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