Frank Jülicher

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Living matter is highly dynamic and organizes into complex  patterns and spatial structures. Cells and tissues are maintained far from thermodynamic equilibrium by a continuous supply of chemical  energy through metabolic processes. I will discuss how active processes drive cells away from equilibrium and present general  concepts from irreversible thermodynamics that capture the physics of such activity. Fluid flows generated by contraction through active  stresses provide a general mechanism for the establishment of cell  polarity. Phase-separated droplets create compartments in cells that  organize biochemistry. These biological condensates motivate the study  of chemically active droplets that can mimic cell-like behaviors such  as spontaneous division. Active droplets also serve as physical models  of protocells. At larger scales, many cells organize collectively during  the morphogenesis of organisms. These examples show that living matter  is a form of active matter governed by nonequilibrium physics.

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Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Dresden
H3
Contact: Insittut Biophysik