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Science 4 August 1972:
Vol. 177. no. 4047, pp. 447 - 449
DOI: 10.1126/science.177.4047.447
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Articles

Contraction in Stentor coeruleus: A Cinematic Analysis

Eric Newman 1

1 Department of Psychology and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139

The convoluted M bands of the protozoan Stentor coeruleus straighten before the animal contracts. Mechanical stimulation initiates contraction locally, and then contraction spreads over the animal with a propagation velocity of 5 to 25 centimeters per second. The contractile wave may spread in both anterior and posterior directions. Electrical stimulation initiates contraction in all areas of Stentor simultaneously.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)