Tutorial 7. Form and Functions of Topological Defects in Biological Matter

ANCILLARYEVENT · MAR-7T · ID: MAR-7T

Topological defects are being recognized as major functional components of biological matter, including living systems such as cellular tissues and bacterial colonies, as well as biomaterial self-assembly in nature and in technology. At the nexus of biological physics, active matter, and mathematics, defects are a topic of major recent developments from understanding the physics of cancer to exploiting chiral self-assembly in structural coloration. This tutorial will expose attendees to state of the art theoretical and experimental developments on this topic in a wide range of systems and applications. Emphasis will be placed on concrete realizations of topological concepts and their physical and biological implications in real-world systems.

Topics covered: 

• Behaviors and functions of topological defects in living matter
• Active turbulence and instabilities in cell layers
• Defects as organizers of morphogenesis 
• Chiral nematic order and defects in cellulose nanocrystals