Self-adaptive and efficient propulsion of Ray sperms at different viscosities enabled by heterogeneous dual helixes

We disclose a peculiar rotational propulsion mechanism of Ray sperms enabled by its unusual heterogeneous dual helixes with a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, named Heterogeneous Dual Helixes (HDH) model for short. Different from the conventional beating propulsion of sperm, the propulsion of Ray...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2021-06, Vol.118 (23), p.1-12
Main Authors: Wang, Panbing, Azad, M. A. R. Al, Yang, Xiong, Martelli, Paolo R., Cheung, Kam Yan, Shi, Jiahai, Shen, Yajing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptability
Biological Sciences
Fertilization
Humans
Male
Microorganisms
Models, Biological
Physical Sciences
Propulsion
Sperm
Sperm Motility - physiology
Sperm Tail - physiology
Spermatozoa - chemistry
Spermatozoa - cytology
Spermatozoa - physiology
Swimming
Tails
Viscosity
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Summary:We disclose a peculiar rotational propulsion mechanism of Ray sperms enabled by its unusual heterogeneous dual helixes with a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, named Heterogeneous Dual Helixes (HDH) model for short. Different from the conventional beating propulsion of sperm, the propulsion of Ray sperms is from both the rotational motion of the soft helical tail and the rigid spiral head. Such heterogeneous dual helical propulsion style provides the Ray sperm with high adaptability in viscous solutions along with advantages in linearity, straightness, and bidirectional motion. This HDH model is further corroborated by a miniature swimming robot actuated via a rigid spiral head and a soft tail, which demonstrates similar superiorities over conventional ones in terms of adaptability and efficiency under the same power input. Such findings expand our knowledge on microorganisms’ motion, motivate further studies on natural fertilization, and inspire engineering designs.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/PNAS.2024329118