This is an overview of theoretical approaches to semiflexible polymers and their networks.
Such semiflexible polymers have large bending rigidities that can compete with the entropic …

Living systems operate far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Enzymatic activity can induce
broken detailed balance at the molecular scale. This molecular scale breaking of detailed …

Cells can enter into a dormant state when faced with unfavorable conditions. However, how
cells enter into and recover from this state is still poorly understood. Here, we study …

Molecular motors in cells typically produce highly directed motion; however, the aggregate,
incoherent effect of all active processes also creates randomly fluctuating forces, which drive …

Systems in thermodynamic equilibrium are not only characterized by time-independent
macroscopic properties, but also satisfy the principle of detailed balance in the transitions …

When in equilibrium, thermal forces agitate molecules, which then diffuse, collide and bind
to form materials. However, the space of accessible structures in which micron-scale …

Active matter agents consume internal energy or extract energy from the environment for
locomotion and force generation. Already, rather generic models, such as ensembles of …

Research on soft materials, including colloidal suspensions, glasses, pastes, emulsions,
foams, polymer networks, liquid crystals, granular materials, and cells, has captured the …

Life emerges from thousands of biochemical processes occurring within a shared
intracellular environment. We have gained deep insights from in vitro reconstitution of …

Cellular functioning requires the orchestration of thousands of molecular interactions in time
and space. Yet most molecules in a cell move by diffusion, which is sensitive to external …