Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 28: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems II (joint session BP/DY)

BP 28.1: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 15:00–15:30, ZEU 250

Eavesdropping on fluctuation-driven transport in living matter — •Matthias Weiss — Experimental Physics I, University of Bayreuth, Gemany

The interior of eukaryotic cells is crowded on several length scales by a plethora of macromolecules and membrane-enveloped sub-compartments. Self-organization of this complex environment eventually involves fluctuation-driven transport on many scales. Due to a vast number of active processes, living cells are in a genuine non-equilibrium state, endowing fluctuation-driven transport also with a non-thermal noise character.

Using different model systems, from culture cells to developing embryos, we have analyzed fluctuation-driven transport of cell constituents to eavesdrop on the ambient non-equilibrium noise of living matter. In particular, we have used single-particle tracking to quantify the heterogeneous and driven, yet often anomalous diffusion of cellular constituents under varying physiological conditions. Based on a thorough analysis of the experimental data, e.g. in terms of correlation functions and power spectra, and comparison to model simulations, our data provide deep insights into the physics of fundamental steps in cellular self-organization.