# Energy and Information Flows in Active Matter
**Source**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra4-energy-and-information-flows-in-active-matter
**Parent**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/
Research Avenue 4
- [Research Avenue 1RA1](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra1-collective-transitions-in-multicellular-systems "Collective Transitions in Multicellular Systems")
- [Research Avenue 2RA2](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra2-emergent-cellular-phases "Emergent Cellular Phases")
- [Research Avenue 3RA3](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra3-self-organizing-active-molecular-systems "Self-Organizing Active Molecular Systems")
- [Research Avenue 5RA5](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra5-physical-measurements-in-intact-living-systems "Physical Measurements in Intact Living Systems")
- [Research Avenue 6RA6](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra6-engineering-living-matter "Engineering Living Matter")
- [Research Avenue 7RA7](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra7-bio-data-science-and-physics-inspired-ai "Bio-Data Science and Physics-Informed AI")
# Energy and Information Flows in Active Matter
Living matter is characterized by the robust emergence of biological structure and function from fluxes of mass, energy and information. These fluxes, operating far from thermodynamic equilibrium, are spatiotemporally coordinated to robustly generate dynamic structures that enable functions at molecular, cellular and tissue scales.
**Our aim** is to reveal physical principles that underlie the emergent dynamic organization of the living state of matter. To do so, a new type of physics, the physics of life, will be harnessed, to investigate how robust spatiotemporal structures that enable function emerge in living systems. A theoretical framework will be developed, to incorporate metabolism, information processing and cross-scale feedback into active matter theory.
Research Topic 1
Spatiotemporal Patterns of Energy, Matter, and Information Fluxes
Research Topic 2
Living Matter as Information Processing Systems
Research Topic 3
Achieving Robustness in Fluctuating Active Matter
Research Topic 4
Emergence of Biological Tempo
## News
18 November 2024\
**[How To Achieve Precision in a Noisy Biological System – Scientists Explain the Regular Beating of Sperm Tails](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/11/18/how-to-achieve-precision-in-a-noisy-biological-system-scientists-explain-the-regular-beating-of-sperm-tails)**
12 August 2024\
**[A New Mechanism for Shaping Animal Tissues](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/08/12/a-new-mechanism-for-shaping-animal-tissues)**
13 July 2024\
**[Breaking the Code: Unveiling the Secrets of Chromatin Remodelers](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/07/13/breaking-the-code-unveiling-the-secrets-of-chromatin-remodelers)**
5 July 2024\
**[Chemotaxis in Bits: Comparison of Fundamental Gradient-sensing Strategies as a Function of Noise](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/07/05/chemotaxis-in-bits-comparison-of-fundamental-gradient-sensing-strategies-as-a-function-of-noise)**
6 March 2024\
**[Branching Out: Understanding the Intricate Patterns of Diatom Silica Formation](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/2024/03/06/branching-out-understanding-the-intricate-patterns-of-diatom-silica-formation)**
[all Research Avenue 4 news](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/news/category:ra4)
## RA Leading Team
### Helmut Schießel (RA Leader)
Chair of Theoretical Physics of Living Matter
Theoretical Physics of Living Matter
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Helmut Schießel<br>(RA Leader)](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/schiessel "›› visit the website of Helmut Schießel<br>(RA Leader)")
### Frank Jülicher (RA Co-Leader)
MPI-PKS
| Director of MPI-PKS, Professor for Biophysics
Dynamic processes in cells and tissues
[›› open the website of Frank Jülicher<br>(RA Co-Leader) in a new tab](https://www.pks.mpg.de/biological-physics/frank-juelicher/ "›› open the website of Frank Jülicher<br>(RA Co-Leader) in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Ricard Alert
The Physics of Living Matter
[›› visit the website of Ricard Alert](https://www.pks.mpg.de/plm "›› visit the website of Ricard Alert")
© MPI-CBG
### Benjamin Friedrich
Heisenberg Professor for Biological Algorithms
Biological Algorithms: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Cells and Tissues
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/friedrich "›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich")
## PoL Groups
### Elias Barriga
Research Group Leader
Biophysical Mechanisms of Morphogenesis
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Elias Barriga](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/barriga "›› visit the website of Elias Barriga")
### Jan Brugués
Chair of Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures
Spatiotemporal Organization of Subcellular Structures
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Jan Brugués](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/brugues "›› visit the website of Jan Brugués")
### Otger Campàs
Chair of Tissue Dynamics
Physics of Embryonic Self-Organization and Morphogenesis
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Otger Campàs](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/campas "›› visit the website of Otger Campàs")
### Stefan Diez
TUD B CUBE
| Professor for BioNano Tools
Molecular transport in cell biology and nanotechnology
[›› open the website of Stefan Diez in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/cmcb/bcube/forschungsgruppen/diez?set_language=en "›› open the website of Stefan Diez in a new tab")
© TUD CMCB, Magdalena Gonciarz
### Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich
Heisenberg Professor for Mechanics of Active Biomaterials
Mechanics of Active Biomaterials
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/fischer-friedrich "›› visit the website of Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich")
### Benjamin Friedrich
Heisenberg Professor for Biological Algorithms
Biological Algorithms: Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Cells and Tissues
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/friedrich "›› visit the website of Benjamin Friedrich")
### Stephan W. Grill
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Physics of Life
Physics of Life
[›› open the website of Stephan W. Grill in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/stephan-grill/ "›› open the website of Stephan W. Grill in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Anthony A. Hyman
MPI-CBG
| Director of MPI-CBG, Professor for Molecular Cell Biology
Organization of Cytoplasm
[›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/anthony-hyman/ "›› open the website of Anthony A. Hyman in a new tab")
© Sven Döring
### Frank Jülicher
MPI-PKS
| Director of MPI-PKS, Professor for Biophysics
Dynamic processes in cells and tissues
[›› open the website of Frank Jülicher in a new tab](https://www.pks.mpg.de/biological-physics/frank-juelicher/ "›› open the website of Frank Jülicher in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Christina Kurzthaler
MPI-PKS, CSBD
| Research Group Leader
Transport and Flows in Complex Environments
[›› open the website of Christina Kurzthaler in a new tab](https://www.pks.mpg.de/tfce "›› open the website of Christina Kurzthaler in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Rita Mateus
Research Group Leader
Biophysical Principles of Vertebrate Growth
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Rita Mateus](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/mateus "›› visit the website of Rita Mateus")
### Ivo F. Sbalzarini
TUD, CSBD
| Professor for Scientific Computing for Systems Biology
The MOSAIC Group: Scientific Computing for Image-based Systems Biology
[›› open the website of Ivo F. Sbalzarini in a new tab](http://mosaic.mpi-cbg.de "›› open the website of Ivo F. Sbalzarini in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
### Helmut Schießel
Chair of Theoretical Physics of Living Matter
Theoretical Physics of Living Matter
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Helmut Schießel](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/schiessel "›› visit the website of Helmut Schießel")
### Xingbo Yang
Research Group Leader
Bioenergetics of Self-Organization
hired by PoL
[›› visit the website of Xingbo Yang](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/yang "›› visit the website of Xingbo Yang")
## PoL Associates
### Felix Müller-Planitz
MTZ, TUD
| Professor for Physiological Chemistry
Epigenetics and Chromatin: How chromatin forms and how it affects cellular functions
[›› open the website of Felix Müller-Planitz in a new tab](https://tu-dresden.de/med/mf/pch/das-institut/arbeitsgruppen/felix-mueller-planitz "›› open the website of Felix Müller-Planitz in a new tab")
### Arash Nikoubashman
IPF, TUD Faculty of Physics
| Heisenberg Professor for Theory of Biologically Inspired Polymers
Theory of Bio-inspired polymers
[›› open the website of Arash Nikoubashman in a new tab](https://www.ipfdd.de/index.php?id=3529 "›› open the website of Arash Nikoubashman in a new tab")
### Jens-Uwe Sommer
IPF
| Professor for Theory of Polymers at Interfaces
Theoretical Polymer Physics
[›› open the website of Jens-Uwe Sommer in a new tab](https://www.ipfdd.de/en/research/institute-theory-of-polymers/people/prof-dr-jens-uwe-sommer/ "›› open the website of Jens-Uwe Sommer in a new tab")
© IPF, Jürgen Lösel
### Jesse Veenvliet
MPI-CBG
| Research Group Leader
Stembryogenesis
[›› open the website of Jesse Veenvliet in a new tab](https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research/researchgroups/currentgroups/jesse-veenvliet/ "›› open the website of Jesse Veenvliet in a new tab")
© MPI-CBG
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- [Research Avenue 2RA2](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra2-emergent-cellular-phases "Emergent Cellular Phases")
- [Research Avenue 3RA3](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra3-self-organizing-active-molecular-systems "Self-Organizing Active Molecular Systems")
- [Research Avenue 5RA5](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra5-physical-measurements-in-intact-living-systems "Physical Measurements in Intact Living Systems")
- [Research Avenue 6RA6](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra6-engineering-living-matter "Engineering Living Matter")
- [Research Avenue 7RA7](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra7-bio-data-science-and-physics-inspired-ai "Bio-Data Science and Physics-Informed AI")