ArticleWorm
Why do worms go against the flow? C. elegans behaviors explained by simple physics.
Article in Worm. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- GravSorter: a forward-genetics tool for studying gravity response inThe Analyst · 2026Article
- Rheotactic Responses inEcology and evolution · 2025Article
- Microfluidic-AssistedCyborg and bionic systems (Washington, D.C.) · 2023Article
- Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits positive gravitaxis.BMC biology · 2021Article
- Terrain following and applications: Caenorhabditis elegans swims along the floor using a bump and undulate strategy.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Nearly half a century of neurobiological research using the nematode Caenorahbitis elegans has produced a remarkably detailed understanding of how genotype controls behavioral phenotype. However, the role of simple physical forces in regulating behavior has been understudied. Here, we review our recent observations of 3 behaviors of C. elegans suspended in solution that can be fully explained by the laws of mechanics. These behaviors are bordertaxis, the attraction toward solid surfaces; positive rheotaxis, the propensity to swim against the flow; and synchrophilia, the tendency of animals when close to each other to synchronize their gaits. Although these 3 behaviors are not directly regulated by the animal's nervous system, bordertaxis and rheotaxis require the animal to have an undulating gait. We conjecture that these behaviors are advantageous to the animals, and thus evolution may have favored microorganism that swim with an undulating gait.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.