Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) coat the exposed surfaces of animal bodies to shape
tissues, influence social interactions, and protect against pathogens and other …

Highlights•The Caenorhabditis elegans motor circuit has a nearly complete connectome.•
Neurogenetic studies are unveiling a rich and complex set of signaling relationships …

Basement membranes (BMs) are supramolecular matrices built on laminin and type IV
collagen networks that provide structural and signaling support to tissues. BM complexity …

Caenorhabditis elegans lives in a complex habitat in which they routinely experience large
fluctuations in temperature, and encounter physical obstacles that vary in size and …

Many animals, including humans, select alternate forms of motion (gaits) to move efficiently
in different environments. However, it is unclear whether primitive animals, such as …

Animals use a nervous system for locomotion in some stage of their life cycle. The nematode
Caenorhabditis elegans, a major animal model for almost all fields of experimental biology …

Equipped with its 302-cell nervous system, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans adapts its
locomotion in different environments, exhibiting so-called swimming in liquids and crawling …

Physical contact is prevalent in the animal kingdom to recognize suitable mates by decoding
information about sex, species, and maturity. Although chemical cues for mate recognition …

Quantitative micromechanical characterization of single cells and multicellular tissues or
organisms is of fundamental importance to the study of cellular growth, morphogenesis, and …

The Caenorhabditis elegans epidermis forms one of the principal barrier epithelia of the
animal. Differentiation of the epidermis begins in mid embryogenesis and involves apical …