Ulrich Schwarz
@ulrichschwarz.bsky.social
Theoretical biophysicist who loves to talk about science.
Homepage https://www.thphys.uni-heidelberg.de/~biophys/
Homepage https://www.thphys.uni-heidelberg.de/~biophys/
(9/9) Many thanks to our great collaborators Photini Sinnis and @freddyfrischknecht.bsky.social as well as to our dream team Mirko Singer and @lettermann.bsky.social. And to Collaborative Research Center #SFB1129 and Priority Programme #SPP2332 "Physics of Parasitism", both funded by @dfg.de.
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
(9/9) Many thanks to our great collaborators Photini Sinnis and @freddyfrischknecht.bsky.social as well as to our dream team Mirko Singer and @lettermann.bsky.social. And to Collaborative Research Center #SFB1129 and Priority Programme #SPP2332 "Physics of Parasitism", both funded by @dfg.de.
(7/9) Interestingly, ookinetes (the malaria parasites infecting mosquitos) and toxoplasma (the causative agent of toxoplasmosis) move left-handedly and seem to follow the chiral flow model. Here a movie summarizing all our findings:
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
(7/9) Interestingly, ookinetes (the malaria parasites infecting mosquitos) and toxoplasma (the causative agent of toxoplasmosis) move left-handedly and seem to follow the chiral flow model. Here a movie summarizing all our findings:
(6/9) Using two-sided traction force and super-resolution microscopies, we then provided experimental evidence for the asymmetric distribution model:
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
(6/9) Using two-sided traction force and super-resolution microscopies, we then provided experimental evidence for the asymmetric distribution model:
(5/9) Extending a theoretical model that we have developed earlier for gliding motility based on surface flows, we then reasoned that these motility patterns can be explained best by an asymmetric apical release of adhesins. Read here our earlier work in @pnas.org:
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
(5/9) Extending a theoretical model that we have developed earlier for gliding motility based on surface flows, we then reasoned that these motility patterns can be explained best by an asymmetric apical release of adhesins. Read here our earlier work in @pnas.org:
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
(4/9) A novel hydrogel sandwich assay confirmed that CW-sporozoites move down and CCW-sporozoites move up, in agreement with right-handed chirality both in 2D and 3D.
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
(4/9) A novel hydrogel sandwich assay confirmed that CW-sporozoites move down and CCW-sporozoites move up, in agreement with right-handed chirality both in 2D and 3D.
(3/9) We then realized that the sporozoites spiraling down onto a glass slide there move in clockwise circles, opposite to the situation in medium, where they move in counterclockwise direction. This implies that in medium, they try to move up, not down, as we always had assumed.
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
(3/9) We then realized that the sporozoites spiraling down onto a glass slide there move in clockwise circles, opposite to the situation in medium, where they move in counterclockwise direction. This implies that in medium, they try to move up, not down, as we always had assumed.
📢 Paper alert 📢
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
November 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
📢 Paper alert 📢
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
Chirality is known to be important for the movement of microorganisms and active matter. In our new paper out today in @natphys.nature.com, we show that chirality is used by malaria parasites to control their motion patterns:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Here comes a 🧵 ... (1/9)
Finally out in #PRXLife: our theory on the effect of temperature on the completion time of large networks. Using graph theory, one can show that the Arrhenius plot is quadratic, in excellent agreement with experimental data from fly development. Read the open access paper here: go.aps.org/48brig2
November 14, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Finally out in #PRXLife: our theory on the effect of temperature on the completion time of large networks. Using graph theory, one can show that the Arrhenius plot is quadratic, in excellent agreement with experimental data from fly development. Read the open access paper here: go.aps.org/48brig2
The WEH-workshop on „Emergent trends in physics of the cell“ in honor of the late Erich Sackmann is now in full swing at TU Munich. Great talks and an amazing line-up for poster flash talks.
October 16, 2025 at 2:50 PM
The WEH-workshop on „Emergent trends in physics of the cell“ in honor of the late Erich Sackmann is now in full swing at TU Munich. Great talks and an amazing line-up for poster flash talks.
Congrats Nedal @ndarif.bsky.social, Yannick, Freddy and coworkers to this beautiful project. Another great work from #SFB1129. Special congrats to first author Nedal who very recently defended his PhD at #EMBL.
October 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Congrats Nedal @ndarif.bsky.social, Yannick, Freddy and coworkers to this beautiful project. Another great work from #SFB1129. Special congrats to first author Nedal who very recently defended his PhD at #EMBL.
A very inspiring day with great 45 min talks at the Ulm Biophysics Summer Symposium 2025, by Joachim Spatz, Jovica Ninkovic, Max Bi, @streichan.bsky.social, Sabrina Leslie and Joachim Rädler. Many thanks @serwanelab.bsky.social for the invitation and congratulations for the new position👍😀🚀
September 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
A very inspiring day with great 45 min talks at the Ulm Biophysics Summer Symposium 2025, by Joachim Spatz, Jovica Ninkovic, Max Bi, @streichan.bsky.social, Sabrina Leslie and Joachim Rädler. Many thanks @serwanelab.bsky.social for the invitation and congratulations for the new position👍😀🚀
The #mattertolife fall days are a wonderful opportunity to connect to this vibrant community. This time at the @mpip-mainz.mpg.de with talks by the local hosts @graeterlab.bsky.social, @landfesterdept.bsky.social and @weilgroup.bsky.social. Thanks @mattertolife.bsky.social for bringing us here 👍😀🙏
September 22, 2025 at 4:14 PM
The #mattertolife fall days are a wonderful opportunity to connect to this vibrant community. This time at the @mpip-mainz.mpg.de with talks by the local hosts @graeterlab.bsky.social, @landfesterdept.bsky.social and @weilgroup.bsky.social. Thanks @mattertolife.bsky.social for bringing us here 👍😀🙏
The #25EngLife conference is over and it was great, including the talks by @sarawickstrom.bsky.social, @bladoux.bsky.social and @routierlab.bsky.social. Many thanks to @stefandiezlab.bsky.social and the other organizers🙏🏻
September 3, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The #25EngLife conference is over and it was great, including the talks by @sarawickstrom.bsky.social, @bladoux.bsky.social and @routierlab.bsky.social. Many thanks to @stefandiezlab.bsky.social and the other organizers🙏🏻
Great session with flash talks at #25EngLife. Here @lettermann.bsky.social presenting his work on malaria parasite motility.
September 1, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Great session with flash talks at #25EngLife. Here @lettermann.bsky.social presenting his work on malaria parasite motility.
Huge congrats to first author Nils Winkler, who had presented this beautiful work also at #DPG2025 at Regensburg. And to second author @omdrozdowski.bsky.social, who closely worked together with him.
August 26, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Huge congrats to first author Nils Winkler, who had presented this beautiful work also at #DPG2025 at Regensburg. And to second author @omdrozdowski.bsky.social, who closely worked together with him.
📣 Now out in @physreve.bsky.social as editors' suggestion: our theory on the role of different myosin II isoforms during cell migration. For standard parameters, A and B segregate to the front and the back, respectively. Yet for other parameter values, also oscillations are possible.
August 26, 2025 at 7:35 PM
📣 Now out in @physreve.bsky.social as editors' suggestion: our theory on the role of different myosin II isoforms during cell migration. For standard parameters, A and B segregate to the front and the back, respectively. Yet for other parameter values, also oscillations are possible.
Huge congrats to first author Nils Winkler, who had presented this beautiful work also at #DPG2025 at Regensburg. And to second author @omdrozdowski.bsky.social, who closely worked together with him.
August 26, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Huge congrats to first author Nils Winkler, who had presented this beautiful work also at #DPG2025 at Regensburg. And to second author @omdrozdowski.bsky.social, who closely worked together with him.
📣 Now out in @physreve.bsky.social as editors' suggestion: our theory on the role of different myosin II isoforms during cell migration. For standard parameters, A and B segregate to the front and the back, respectively. Yet for other parameter values, also oscillations are possible.
August 26, 2025 at 7:34 PM
📣 Now out in @physreve.bsky.social as editors' suggestion: our theory on the role of different myosin II isoforms during cell migration. For standard parameters, A and B segregate to the front and the back, respectively. Yet for other parameter values, also oscillations are possible.
Opening for a professorship in multimodal imaging in the context of our cluster of excellence #3DMM2O. Here is the full advertisement with all details: tinyurl.com/2ksy2b2s
July 28, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Opening for a professorship in multimodal imaging in the context of our cluster of excellence #3DMM2O. Here is the full advertisement with all details: tinyurl.com/2ksy2b2s
Very inspiring, but also sort of sad: last of the annual retreats of our wonderful #SFB1129 on pathogens, which just entered its 12th and last year. But there is also some good news: it will end in one year from now with an international conference that everyone will be able to attend👍😀
July 22, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Very inspiring, but also sort of sad: last of the annual retreats of our wonderful #SFB1129 on pathogens, which just entered its 12th and last year. But there is also some good news: it will end in one year from now with an international conference that everyone will be able to attend👍😀
📣Book alert📣
Finally out with Cambridge University Press: the book by Udo Seifert on "Stochastic thermodynamics". It comprehensively covers many topics, from an introduction to statistical physics to many special subjects such as reaction networks and active particles. Highly recommended 👍👍👍
Finally out with Cambridge University Press: the book by Udo Seifert on "Stochastic thermodynamics". It comprehensively covers many topics, from an introduction to statistical physics to many special subjects such as reaction networks and active particles. Highly recommended 👍👍👍
July 17, 2025 at 3:12 PM
📣Book alert📣
Finally out with Cambridge University Press: the book by Udo Seifert on "Stochastic thermodynamics". It comprehensively covers many topics, from an introduction to statistical physics to many special subjects such as reaction networks and active particles. Highly recommended 👍👍👍
Finally out with Cambridge University Press: the book by Udo Seifert on "Stochastic thermodynamics". It comprehensively covers many topics, from an introduction to statistical physics to many special subjects such as reaction networks and active particles. Highly recommended 👍👍👍
Inspiring talk by Erwin Frey @physicsoflifelmu.bsky.social sky.social in the Heidelberg physics colloquium yesterday. And a great introduction to their latest paper on Min oscillations in @natphys.nature.com https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-02878-w
June 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Inspiring talk by Erwin Frey @physicsoflifelmu.bsky.social sky.social in the Heidelberg physics colloquium yesterday. And a great introduction to their latest paper on Min oscillations in @natphys.nature.com https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-02878-w
If you should happen to be at Heidelberg next Monday (April 28, 7.15 pm in the Old City): Stefanie Gänger @feverprojecthd.bsky.social and myself will speak on fever from the perspectives of history and physics, respectively. Looking forward to interdisciplinary and lively discussions!
April 25, 2025 at 6:26 AM
If you should happen to be at Heidelberg next Monday (April 28, 7.15 pm in the Old City): Stefanie Gänger @feverprojecthd.bsky.social and myself will speak on fever from the perspectives of history and physics, respectively. Looking forward to interdisciplinary and lively discussions!
(5/6) Moreover, we found that luminal pressure decreases and basal line tensions increase during budding, suggesting that budding has to be facilitated and stabilized by different mechanical processes.
April 10, 2025 at 7:08 AM
(5/6) Moreover, we found that luminal pressure decreases and basal line tensions increase during budding, suggesting that budding has to be facilitated and stabilized by different mechanical processes.
(4/6) Looking at different time points, we found that apico-basal tension differences increase after 48h, when budding occurs, as expected. However, we also found that afterwards they decrease again, suggesting a ratchet-like irreversibility of budding.
April 10, 2025 at 7:08 AM
(4/6) Looking at different time points, we found that apico-basal tension differences increase after 48h, when budding occurs, as expected. However, we also found that afterwards they decrease again, suggesting a ratchet-like irreversibility of budding.