What is common between an assembly of motile cells whose movement is fueled by ATP and active colloids able to move using some chemical reactions?
This is the question we are addressing using a rheological setup that allows us to probe the mechanical properties of these systems.
We have designed a stokes experiment on both cells and colloids, and by analyzing the highly heterogeneous flow that is triggered, we hope to better understand the analogies between these systems and especially the role of activity, which can be easily controlled in case of the colloidal system.