Every living organism expresses fine cellular protrusions known as cilia. Flagellates need them to move, roundworms to find food, and sperm to move towards the egg. Cilia form fine protective hairs in the lungs and play a crucial role in the differentiation of organs in embryos. A research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now reconstructed the protein complex responsible for transport within cilia, which plays a decisive role in their functioning.