= I. R. Gibbons
{c}
<I. R. Gibbons> worked with <K. E. Summers> on the mechanics of <flagella>. Their 1971 experiment isolated sea-urchin sperm <axonemes>, briefly treated them with <trypsin>, and then added <ATP>. The partly digested structures actively separated as groups of outer <microtubules> slid relative to one another.<Adenosine triphosphate-induced sliding of tubules in trypsin-treated flagella of sea-urchin sperm by K. E. Summers and I. R. Gibbons>[Abstract: isolated axonemes, limited proteolysis and ATP-induced sliding; PNAS 68, 3092–3096, 1971]{ref}
The observation supported a mechanical explanation of bending: relative sliding can generate curvature when the intact structure resists unrestricted separation. Releasing some constraints made the underlying movement visible in a different form. This distinguishes a force-producing process from the larger structure that organizes that force into a useful motion.<Adenosine triphosphate-induced sliding of tubules in trypsin-treated flagella of sea-urchin sperm by K. E. Summers and I. R. Gibbons>[Abstract: dark-field observations and proposed conversion of shearing forces to bending]{ref}
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