Active muscular hydraulics
Muscles are the primary effector of all animal behavior and locomotion, yet the limits of its performance are poorly understood. By adopting a spatiotemporally integrated and multiscale view of muscle, I will show how a minimal description of muscle as a soft, active and wet solid is sufficient to describe its mechanical, dynamic and energetic properties. I will highlight the presence of intracellular fluid flow (cellular hydraulics) which in conjunction with the kinetic cycling of molecular motors eventually dictates the ultimate limits of muscular contraction across the animal kingdom. Furthermore, I will demonstrate that muscle naturally exhibits an unusual mechanical response that is nonreciprocal, hence uncovering a new mode of muscular power generation from periodic strain cycles alone. I will conclude by highlighting the consequences of this work for physiology.
For those that will be unable to attend the talk in person, a Zoom link for this talk is also available: https://illinois.zoom.us/j/85218017551?pwd=bVV0eUtMelNYOTlmaVRBSHpZQzBYUT09
