Manu Jumping: How to make the biggest splash

2-page comic describing our paper on the fluid dynamics of making a big splash, using a technique from New Zealand: Manu Jumping. Paper by Pankaj Rohilla, Daehyun Choi, Halley Wallace, Kai Lauren Yung, Juhi Deora, Atharva Lele, and Saad Bhamla. Interface(2025)

Artist: Kai Lauren Yung, our lab manager!

Fantastic Flamingo feeding with a twist

2-page comic describing our paper on how flamingos feed using flows. ‘Flamingos use their L-shaped beak and morphing feet to induce vortical traps for prey capture’ by Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, Tien Yee, Pankaj Rohilla, Benjamin Seleb, Jake Belair, and Saad Bhamla PNAS (2025)

Artist: Matteo Farinella

super springing worms!

2-page comic describing our paper ‘Reversible kink instability drives ultrafast jumping in nematodes and soft robots by Sunny Kumar, Ishant Tiwari, Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, Adler R. Dillman, Dongjing He, Yuhang Hu, Saad Bhamla. Science Robotics, (2025)

Artist: Eliza Wolfson

Microvelia: THe Tiny Vortex Bender

2-page comic describing our findings in three papers on water-walking insects, by Pankaj Rohilla, Johnathan O’Neil, Chandan Bose, Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez, Daehyun Choi, and Saad Bhamla. ICB(1,2) and Biorxiv (2024)

Artist: Jason Lyon

Captain Cicada & the jetstice league

2-page comic describing our paper ‘Unifying Fluidic Excretion Across Life from Cicadas to Elephants' by Elio J. Challita, Pankaj Rohilla, and Saad Bhamla. PNAS (2024) and annual review paper, “Fluid ejections in nature” by Elio J. Challita, Pankaj Rohilla, and Saad Bhamla. Annual Reviews Paper (2024)

Writer: Travis B. Hill

Artist: Sam Beck

Sheepdog Showstoppers

2-page comic describing our paper ‘Controlling Noisy Herds' by Tuhin Chakrabortty, and Saad Bhamla. arXiv 2024.

Artist: Caroline Hu

Protists: Ultrafast Micro-marvels

2-page comic describing our paper ‘A unified model for the dynamics of ATP-independent ultrafast contraction' by Carlos Floyd, Arthur T. Molines, Xiangting Lei, Jerry E. Honts, Fred Chang, Mary Williard Elting, Suriyanarayanan Vaikuntanathan, Aaron R. Dinner, and Saad Bhamla. PNAS (2023)

Artist: Jordan Collver

Co-writers: Rik Worth and Jon Perry

Worm tangles

2-page comic describing our paper ‘Ultrafast reversible self-assembly of living tangled matter’ by Vishal Patil, Harry Tuazon, Emily Kaufman, Tuhin Chakrabortty, David Qin, Jorn Dunkel, and Saad Bhamla, Science (2023)

Artist: Jordan Collver

Mudskipper blinks

2-page comic describing our paper ‘The origin of blinking in both mudskippers and tetrapods is linked to life on land’ by Brett Aiello, Saad Bhamla, Jeff Gau, John Morris, Kenji Bomar, Shashwati da Cunha, Harrison Fu, Julia Laws, Hajime Minoguchi, Manognya Sripathi, Kendra Washington, Gabriella Wong, Neil Shubin, Simon Sponberg, and Thomas Stewart, PNAS (2023).

Artist: Jordan Collver

Insect Pee

2-page comic describing our paper ‘Droplet superpropulsion in an energetically constrained insect’ by Challita, Sehgal, Krugner & Bhamla, Nature Communications (2023).

Artist: Jordan Collver

Co-writer: Rik Worth

Springtails

2-page comic describing our paper 'Directional takeoff, aerial righting, and adhesion landing of semiaquatic springtails' by Ortega-Jimenez, Challita, Kim, Ko, Gwon, Koh, & Bhamla, PNAS (2022).

Artist: Lindsey Leigh

Finger Snap

Comic describing our paper 'The Ultrafast Snap of a Finger is Mediated by Skin Friction' by Acharya, Challita, Ilton and Bhamla, RSIF (2021).

Artist: Lindsey Leigh

Worm blobs

2-part comics describing manuscript 'Collective dynamics in worm and robot blobs' by Azkan-Oydin, Goldman and Bhamla, PNAS (2021).

Artist: Lindsey Leigh

Spanish Translation

Slingshot spiders

Comic describing manuscript 'Ultrafast launch of slingshot spiders using conical silk webs' by Alexander and Bhamla, Current Biology (2020).

Artist: Lindsey Leigh

Translations