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Volume 572 Issue 7768, 8 August 2019

Drawn together

From flocks of birds to molecular motors, active-matter systems are made up of individual units that each consume energy from their surroundings and convert it into mechanical work. Experimental demonstrations of such systems have been widely explored for their abilities to spontaneously form patterns and generate flows. But synthetic systems usually lack the level of spatiotemporal control seen in biological systems. In this week’s issue, Tyler Ross, Matt Thomson and their colleagues show that light can be used to guide the behaviour of an engineered active-matter system, giving rise to a suite of emergent structures and properties that can be dynamically manipulated and controlled. The cover shows the microtubules that form the basis of their system. Associated with these tubules are molecular motors (orange) that walk along the tubules. These motors form dimers under light, which can then pull the tubules towards each other, allowing the researchers to control the emergent structures.

Cover image: Inna-Marie Strazhnik/Wonderstruck Arts

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