WAG THIS WAY

摘要

While non-beating tails have turned out to be crucial cellular sensors, beating tails also have unexpected roles. In our bodies, moving cilia (the brown "fur" pictured above) are found on the lining of many tubes and cavities. They help keep our windpipes and lungs clear by beating in unison 7 to 22 times a second to sweep mucus and particles along. They perform the same role in the nasal cavities and the Eustachian tube, which drains the middle ear. Beating cilia also circulate the cerebrospinal fluid around our brains and spine, and help move eggs along the fallopian tubes to the womb, where they can be fertilised by sperm swimming using their tails.