Physics of Living Systems

Physics of Living Systems

eLife reviews research in which approaches from the physical sciences are used to provide insights into the properties of biological systems and processes. Learn more about what we review and sign up for the latest research.
Illustration by Davide Bonazzi

Latest articles

    1. Physics of Living Systems

    Fragmentation and aggregation of cyanobacterial colonies

    Yuri Z Sinzato, Robert Uittenbogaard ... Maziyar Jalaal
    Revised
    Reviewed Preprint v3
    Updated
    • Important
    • Convincing
    1. Computational and Systems Biology
    2. Physics of Living Systems

    A Coma Pattern-Based Autofocusing Method Resolves Bacterial Cold Shock Response at Single-Cell Level

    Sihong Li, Zhixin Ma ... Shuqiang Huang
    Not revised
    Reviewed Preprint v1
    • Important
    • Solid
    1. Microbiology and Infectious Disease
    2. Physics of Living Systems

    Should I stay or should I go? Spatiotemporal dynamics of bacterial biofilms in confined flows

    Massinissa Benbelkacem, Gabriel Ramos ... Yohan Davit
    Revised
    Reviewed Preprint v2
    Updated
    • Important
    • Compelling
    1. Neuroscience
    2. Physics of Living Systems

    “What” × “When” working memory representations using Laplace Neural Manifolds

    Aakash Sarkar, Shangfu Zuo ... Marc W Howard
    Not revised
    Reviewed Preprint v1
    • Useful
    • Incomplete
    1. Cell Biology
    2. Physics of Living Systems

    Convergent Cellular Adaptation to Freeze-Thaw Stress via a Quiescence-like State in Yeast

    Charuhansini Tvishamayi, Farhan Ali ... Shashi Thutupalli
    Revised
    Reviewed Preprint v2
    Updated
    • Valuable
    • Convincing
    1. Physics of Living Systems

    Enhanced bacterial chemotaxis in confined microchannels: Optimal performance in lane widths matching circular swimming radius

    Caijuan Yue, Chi Zhang ... Junhua Yuan
    Revised
    Reviewed Preprint v2
    Updated
    • Important
    • Convincing
    1. Physics of Living Systems

    Feeding rates in sessile versus motile ciliates are hydrodynamically equivalent

    Jingyi Liu, Yi Man ... Eva Kanso
    Fluid flow analysis reveals that both swimming and sessile ciliates achieve competitive nutrient uptake, resolving the long-standing debate over the hydrodynamic advantage of either strategy.
    1. Cancer Biology
    2. Physics of Living Systems

    Robust assessment of asymmetric division in colon cancer cells

    Domenico Caudo, Chiara Giannattasio ... Mattia Miotto
    Combining statistical modeling with flow cytometry enables reliable, high-throughput quantification of division asymmetry in live cells, revealing how partitioning noise may shape tumor cell heterogeneity.
    1. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
    2. Physics of Living Systems

    Cluster size determines internal structure of transcription factories in human cells

    Massimiliano Semeraro, Giuseppe Negro ... Davide Marenduzzo
    Revised
    Reviewed Preprint v2
    Updated
    • Valuable
    • Compelling
    1. Physics of Living Systems

    Linking complex microbial interactions and dysbiosis through a disordered Lotka–Volterra model

    Jacopo Pasqualini, Amos Maritan ... Samir Suweis
    Linking biological research with disordered-systems modeling, providing new insights into gut microbiome stability, functioning, and their relationship with health.
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Highlights

    1. Physics of Living Systems

    Flagella: A new kind of beat

    Kirsty Y Wan
    1. Physics of Living Systems

    Cancer: Cells under pressure

    Dhiraj Indana, Ovijit Chaudhuri
    1. Physics of Living Systems
    2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

    Modelling biomolecular condensates

    Furqan Dar, Rohit Pappu

Senior editors

  1. Felix Campelo
    Pompeu Fabra University, Spain
  2. Aleksandra Walczak
    Ecole Normale Superieure, France
  3. See more editors