---

In physics, we are used to describing the world around us in terms of particles, or quasiparticles, with defined properties and interactions. Even when the particles have substructure, this description remains useful, for as long as the particles remain intact. Living matter consists of very complex “particles”, with internal states that are often hidden to the observer. Inferring the quantitative properties and interactions of these biological particles from targeted experiments is an exciting endeavor for physicists. I will try to demonstrate this for the case where the particles are micron-sized bacterial cells, using examples from our own and other groups work.

---

Ulrich Gerland, TU Munich
HS III
Contact: IBP