Force sensors to study living cells and microorganisms with extraordinary precision
Forces that are exerted by a living cell or a microorganism are tiny and often not larger than a few nanonewtons. For comparison, one nanonewton is the weight of one part in a billion of a typical chocolate bar. Yet, for biological cells and microbes, these forces are enough to allow cells to stick to a surface or microbes to propel themselves towards nutrients. Scientists from Finland and Germany now present a highly adaptable technique, called…