3:45–5:00 pm
GCIS W301/303 929 E. 57th St
Speaker: Prof. Cristina Marchetti, Dept. of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara
Host: Asst. Prof. Elizabeth Jerison, Dept. of Physics (ejerison@uchicago.edu)
Active nematic solids and morphogenesis
Orientational order of elongated cells or muscle fibers is observed ubiquitously in biology and is known to play an important role in the organization of biological tissue. While most previous work has modeled living tissue as active fluids, in many circumstances both cell neighbor exchanges and cell divisions are suppressed and the tissue behaves more like an active solid. A striking example of this is the freshwater polyp Hydra, where topological defects in the muscle fiber orientation have been shown to localize to key features of the body plan. In this talk I will examine the behavior of active nematic solids, where the feedback between alignment, elasticity and biochemical signaling controls shape and structure. I will specifically apply the active solid framework to two examples of morphogenesis: the in vitro organization of cardiac organoids and the in vivo regeneration of Hydra.
About the JFI Colloquium: The James Franck Institute Colloquium is a monthly event inviting distinguished scholars from research institutions around the globe to share creative, groundbreaking research at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and materials science. As an interdisciplinary institution, the JFI welcomes researchers and students from a wide variety of scientific disciplines to attend and partake in lively discussion. Colloquium speakers are nominated by JFI faculty and selected annually by the colloquium committee. Find the full calendar on the JFI website.