The direction of movement of a microbe directly depends on the curvature of its environment – this is the key finding of a recent publication in the journal PNAS with participation of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) in Göttingen. The researchers investigated the navigation of a model microbe, a small self-propelling microalga, in confined compartments with different shapes. They also developed theoretical models to predict the probability flux of that microswimmer which was confirmed by experiments. With this model available, it is now possible to pre-define the average trajectory of such microbes by manipulating their environment.