ReviewSoft matter2023
Worm blobs as entangled living polymers: from topological active matter to flexible soft robot collectives.
Review in Soft matter, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 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
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Percolation transition in entangled granular networks.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Behavior of Active Polymer Knots.Macromolecules · 2025Article
- Effects of Knotting on the Collapse of Active Ring Polymers.Macromolecules · 2025Article
- Form and function in biological filaments: a physicist's review.Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences · 2025Review
- Metareview: a survey of active matter reviews.The European physical journal. E, Soft matter · 2025Review
- Leeches Predate on Fast-Escaping and Entangling Blackworms by Spiral Entombment.Integrative and comparative biology · 2024Article
- Leeches Predate on Fast-Escaping and Entangling Blackworms by Spiral Entombment.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus.Integrative and comparative biology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Recently, the study of long, slender living worms has gained attention due to their unique ability to form highly entangled physical structures, exhibiting emergent behaviors. These organisms can assemble into an active three-dimensional soft entity referred to as the "blob", which exhibits both solid-like and liquid-like properties. This blob can respond to external stimuli such as light, to move or change shape. In this perspective article, we acknowledge the extensive and rich history of polymer physics, while illustrating how these living worms provide a fascinating experimental platform for investigating the physics of active, polymer-like entities. The combination of activity, long aspect ratio, and entanglement in these worms gives rise to a diverse range of emergent behaviors. By understanding the intricate dynamics of the worm blob, we could potentially stimulate further research into the behavior of entangled active polymers, and guide the advancement of synthetic topological active matter and bioinspired tangling soft robot collectives.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.