Binding of two macromolecular complexes allows kinetochores to capture force produced by the depolymerising ends of microtubules, allowing chromosomes to be transmitted from a mother cell to its two daughters.

Combining micropatterning, traction force microscopy, and optogenetics, it is shown that epithelial cells actively respond to mechanical signals from neighboring cells.

Probing the DNA motor SpoIIIE at the single-molecule level has revealed its force-generating step, rich translocation dynamics during motor operation and a novel, bi-phasic mechanical response to opposing force.

Laser trap measurements show that mechanical work output from curling protofilaments is enhanced by adding magnesium, and that yeast microtubules generate larger and more energetic working strokes than bovine microtubules.

The protofilaments that curl outward from a disassembling microtubule tip carry a large amount of strain energy and they can drive movement with an efficiency similar to conventional motor proteins.

Microtubules grow at highly variable rates, but they can be tightly coordinated merely by coupling their tips to a single shared load.

Computational and experimental studies show that different migration modes of eukaryotic cells are the result of the interplay between signaling waves and cell mechanics.

Blastopore closure in Xenopus is driven by two morphogenic mechanisms that have strongly context dependent effects on tissue movement and that generate tensile force across tissues: convergent extension, as expected, and, unexpectedly, convergent thickening.

Super-resolution microscopy and single particle tracking analysis of Piezo1 in red blood cells demonstrate its ability to sense membrane curvature, consistent with a force-through-membrane mechanism of channel mechanosensation in these cells.

Coupling between cell motility and strong confinement alters the force generators that cause flow fields to change their handedness and lead to enhanced mixing.