Swimming cells and microorganisms, including bacteria, sperm, and algae, are critical components of many biological processes such as infection and mammalian reproduction. In order to better interpret studies of these small, low Reynolds number swimmers, we combine experimental and numerical methods to perform an analysis of the three-dimensional flow field surrounding the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results show how fundamental fluid mechanics may be used to improve our understanding of biofluiddynamics.
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