Proliferating active matter

Oskar Hallatschek; Sujit S. Datta; Knut Drescher; Jörn Dunkel; Jens Elgeti; Bartek Waclaw; Ned S. Wingreen

doi:10.1038/s42254-023-00593-0

Proliferating active matter

Oskar Hallatschek, Sujit S. Datta, Knut Drescher, Jörn Dunkel, Jens Elgeti, Bartek Waclaw, Ned S. Wingreen

Princeton University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

The fascinating patterns of collective motion created by autonomously driven particles have fuelled active-matter research for over two decades. So far, theoretical active-matter research has often focused on systems with a fixed number of particles. This constraint imposes strict limitations on what behaviours can and cannot emerge. However, a hallmark of life is the breaking of local cell number conservation by replication and death. Birth and death processes must be taken into account, for example, to predict the growth and evolution of a microbial biofilm, the expansion of a tumour, or the development from a fertilized egg into an embryo and beyond. In this Perspective, we argue that unique features emerge in these systems because proliferation represents a distinct form of activity: not only do the proliferating entities consume and dissipate energy, they also inject biomass and degrees of freedom capable of further self-proliferation, leading to myriad dynamic scenarios. Despite this complexity, a growing number of studies document common collective phenomena in various proliferating soft-matter systems. This generality leads us to propose proliferation as another direction of active-matter physics, worthy of a dedicated search for new dynamical universality classes. Conceptual challenges abound, from identifying control parameters and understanding large fluctuations and nonlinear feedback mechanisms to exploring the dynamics and limits of information flow in self-replicating systems. We believe that, by extending the rich conceptual framework developed for conventional active matter to proliferating active matter, researchers can have a profound impact on quantitative biology and reveal fascinating emergent physics along the way.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	407-419
Number of pages	13
Journal	Nature Reviews Physics
Volume	5
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-023-00593-0
State	Published - Jul 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Physics and Astronomy

Access to Document

10.1038/s42254-023-00593-0

Cite this

@article{b3e68d5148454869b41119bce8676ed0,

title = "Proliferating active matter",

abstract = "The fascinating patterns of collective motion created by autonomously driven particles have fuelled active-matter research for over two decades. So far, theoretical active-matter research has often focused on systems with a fixed number of particles. This constraint imposes strict limitations on what behaviours can and cannot emerge. However, a hallmark of life is the breaking of local cell number conservation by replication and death. Birth and death processes must be taken into account, for example, to predict the growth and evolution of a microbial biofilm, the expansion of a tumour, or the development from a fertilized egg into an embryo and beyond. In this Perspective, we argue that unique features emerge in these systems because proliferation represents a distinct form of activity: not only do the proliferating entities consume and dissipate energy, they also inject biomass and degrees of freedom capable of further self-proliferation, leading to myriad dynamic scenarios. Despite this complexity, a growing number of studies document common collective phenomena in various proliferating soft-matter systems. This generality leads us to propose proliferation as another direction of active-matter physics, worthy of a dedicated search for new dynamical universality classes. Conceptual challenges abound, from identifying control parameters and understanding large fluctuations and nonlinear feedback mechanisms to exploring the dynamics and limits of information flow in self-replicating systems. We believe that, by extending the rich conceptual framework developed for conventional active matter to proliferating active matter, researchers can have a profound impact on quantitative biology and reveal fascinating emergent physics along the way.",

author = "Oskar Hallatschek and Datta, {Sujit S.} and Knut Drescher and J{\"o}rn Dunkel and Jens Elgeti and Bartek Waclaw and Wingreen, {Ned S.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, Springer Nature Limited.",

year = "2023",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1038/s42254-023-00593-0",

language = "American English",

volume = "5",

pages = "407--419",

journal = "Nature Reviews Physics",

issn = "2522-5820",

publisher = "Springer International Publishing",

number = "7",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Proliferating active matter

AU - Hallatschek, Oskar

AU - Datta, Sujit S.

AU - Drescher, Knut

AU - Dunkel, Jörn

AU - Elgeti, Jens

AU - Waclaw, Bartek

AU - Wingreen, Ned S.

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

N2 - The fascinating patterns of collective motion created by autonomously driven particles have fuelled active-matter research for over two decades. So far, theoretical active-matter research has often focused on systems with a fixed number of particles. This constraint imposes strict limitations on what behaviours can and cannot emerge. However, a hallmark of life is the breaking of local cell number conservation by replication and death. Birth and death processes must be taken into account, for example, to predict the growth and evolution of a microbial biofilm, the expansion of a tumour, or the development from a fertilized egg into an embryo and beyond. In this Perspective, we argue that unique features emerge in these systems because proliferation represents a distinct form of activity: not only do the proliferating entities consume and dissipate energy, they also inject biomass and degrees of freedom capable of further self-proliferation, leading to myriad dynamic scenarios. Despite this complexity, a growing number of studies document common collective phenomena in various proliferating soft-matter systems. This generality leads us to propose proliferation as another direction of active-matter physics, worthy of a dedicated search for new dynamical universality classes. Conceptual challenges abound, from identifying control parameters and understanding large fluctuations and nonlinear feedback mechanisms to exploring the dynamics and limits of information flow in self-replicating systems. We believe that, by extending the rich conceptual framework developed for conventional active matter to proliferating active matter, researchers can have a profound impact on quantitative biology and reveal fascinating emergent physics along the way.

AB - The fascinating patterns of collective motion created by autonomously driven particles have fuelled active-matter research for over two decades. So far, theoretical active-matter research has often focused on systems with a fixed number of particles. This constraint imposes strict limitations on what behaviours can and cannot emerge. However, a hallmark of life is the breaking of local cell number conservation by replication and death. Birth and death processes must be taken into account, for example, to predict the growth and evolution of a microbial biofilm, the expansion of a tumour, or the development from a fertilized egg into an embryo and beyond. In this Perspective, we argue that unique features emerge in these systems because proliferation represents a distinct form of activity: not only do the proliferating entities consume and dissipate energy, they also inject biomass and degrees of freedom capable of further self-proliferation, leading to myriad dynamic scenarios. Despite this complexity, a growing number of studies document common collective phenomena in various proliferating soft-matter systems. This generality leads us to propose proliferation as another direction of active-matter physics, worthy of a dedicated search for new dynamical universality classes. Conceptual challenges abound, from identifying control parameters and understanding large fluctuations and nonlinear feedback mechanisms to exploring the dynamics and limits of information flow in self-replicating systems. We believe that, by extending the rich conceptual framework developed for conventional active matter to proliferating active matter, researchers can have a profound impact on quantitative biology and reveal fascinating emergent physics along the way.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85160791347&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85160791347&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s42254-023-00593-0

DO - 10.1038/s42254-023-00593-0

M3 - Review article

C2 - 37360681

SN - 2522-5820

VL - 5

SP - 407

EP - 419

JO - Nature Reviews Physics

JF - Nature Reviews Physics

IS - 7

ER -

Proliferating active matter

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this