Neutrophil-like cells must balance speed against chemotactic accuracy to win a chemotaxis maze race in the inaugural Dicty World Races, a worldwide competition, according to a study published June 22, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Monica Skoge from Princeton University, Daniel Irmia from the Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues. Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-06-worldwide-chemotaxis-competition-cell-lines.html#jCp

Racing amoeba across a microscopic maze is no doubt fun, but the reason scientists around the world are spending time and effort to breed the perfect contestants is because of its implications for disease and healing. Read the full article here: http://thewire.in/45049/a-sport-that-races-amoeba-around-a-maze-for-science/

Scientists are not above, nor are they below, indulging in the sport of racing. This new study tells how a bunch of scientists arranged for a bunch of cells to race. Read the full article here: http://www.improbable.com/2016/06/25/insiders-tell-all-about-the-dicty-world-races/

In new study, published today in PLOS ONE, scientists from around the globe participated in the Dicty World Race, a competition that challenges researchers to design cells that can navigate across an artificial maze as quickly as possible. On race day, 14 teams injected specially modified version of two cell lines, Dictyostelium (or Dicty) and HL60, which are commonly used to study cell movement (known as chemotaxis), into a 1-millimeter-long silicone-based maze underneath a powerful microscope. Read the full article here: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/06/video-scientists-race-cells-worldwide-competition

ASBC covered the excitement about and concerns behind the second Dicty World Race. This race is expected to have more engineered cells to better understand cell taxis. Between the potential to learn more about cell motility and to translate strategies to therapeutics for sepsis, the cell race is a thrilling and educational opportunity.

The full article can be found here: http://www.ascb.org/crowd-roars-world-dicty-cell-race-returns-2/

Video of amoebae of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum as they make their way through a maze as part of a worldwide chemotaxis race selected for the Scientist Image of the Day. Read the full article here: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46347/title/Image-of-the-Day–Mold-Maze/