News from the Department

Chemical condensates show non-reciprocal interactions and chasing also when only attraction is present more

Physicists discover a new type of phase separation driven by a proliferating medium that rewrites the physics of particles inside it more

Asymmetric interactions induce stable and resilient collective movement of particles more

Adding non-linearity to non-reciprocal interactions results in a chaotic system more

Universal rules can help to design an optimal enzyme from scratch more

The interaction between growth and the active migration of cells plays a crucial role in the spatial mixing of growing cell colonies. This connection was discovered by scientists from the Department of Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS). Their results provide new approaches to understanding the dynamics of bacterial colonies and tumors. more

Non-reciprocal interactions between particles allow regulation of dynamic states more

A new model highlights the importance of molecular interactions to create order in active systems more

How molecular interactions make it possible to overcome the energy barrier more

The Lorentz reciprocal theorem can now be applied to fluids with broken symmetries. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) in Göttingen have found a way to accommodate this classical theorem also in fluids with odd viscosities. Their discovery opens a new way to explore systems with broken symmetries. more

The amount of power a microswimmer needs to move can now be determined more easily. Scientists from the department Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) developed a general theorem to calculate the minimal energy required for propulsion. These insights allow a profound understanding for practical applications, such as targeted transport of molecules and substrates. more

A new model demonstrates that chasing interactions can induce dynamical patterns in the organization of bacterial species more

Edges cause cilia to quickly synchronize their beating pattern more

A new model helps to understand the self-organization of molecules into living structures more

New theory on autonomous remodeling of structures more

Enzymatic reactions create micro-environments which are essential to organize cellular processes more

Novel navigation strategies for microscopic swimmers more

Researchers from Göttingen and Twente reveal physical mechanisms behind the movement of microswimmers more

A research team led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has succeeded for the first time in producing a molecular electric motor using the DNA origami method. The tiny machine made of genetic material self-assembles and converts electrical energy into kinetic energy. The new nanomotors can be switched on and off, and the researchers can control the rotation speed and rotational direction. more

When different cell types compete in a confined space, those which remove debris faster have a better chance to dominate their environment. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) showed in their model that not only a higher net proliferation rate, but also the swift removal of dead cells provides a competitive advantage. They mixed two cell populations only differing in debris removal rate and showed that already after a few generations the population with the higher removal rate starts to dominate the confined space. more

The Department Living Matter Physics from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) revealed a link between the generation of entropy and the topological features of a system. In their study, recently published in Nature Communications, the scientists investigated the random motion of particles in vortex flows. They found that fluctuations in entropy production can be characterized based only on the number of windings around the vortex, but not on the shape or size of the trajectory. These findings could contribute to a better understanding of microscopic systems, such as micro-motors or particles moving in biological media. more

Mechanically coupled enzymes show an increase in their catalytic efficiency – this is the result from a study by the group of Ramin Golestanian and Jaime Agudo-Canalejo from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization. The researchers concluded that enzymes can benefit from cooperation and avoid the activation energy required for individual enzymes. This way, two enzymes can work hand-in-hand to achieve an overall faster turnover of a chemical reaction. The study was recently published in Physical Review Letters. more

A new model describes the coordination of beating cilia allowing to predict their functional behavior. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) analyzed the formation of metachronal waves in arrays of cilia and how external cues might influence them. The model allows to better understand the crucial role that cilia play in many biological processes and lays the foundation for its manipulation. This may ultimately improve the corresponding medical diagnostics and treatments, but also helps in the design of artificial systems used in microscale engineering. more

A phenomenon known from quantum systems could now make its way into biology: In a new study published in Physical Review X, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) in Göttingen show that the notion of topological protection can also apply to biochemical networks. As these are typically very complex and yet remain very stable against changes, topology can help in the emergence of robust oscillations. The model which the scientists developed makes the topological toolbox, typically used only to describe quantum systems, now also available to biology. more

Solutions that conduct electricity, ‘electrolytes’, are ubiquitous not only in batteries and capacitors but also in biofluids including blood plasma; of great practical importance is thus to understand how electrolytes can be utilised to control living cells or other objects that are immersed in them. In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) in Göttingen, and the University of Oxford uncover how forces with unprecedented controllability can be transmitted in electrolyte solutions across large length scales. more

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen show that under certain circumstances magnetic field sensing microswimmers can self-organize into a new phase whose theoretical description shares formal similarities with that of ultra-cold quantum gases. more

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization show that the secret to optimal micro-swimming is out there in the nature. They prove that a microswimmer can increase its swimming efficiency by learning the swimming techniques from an unexpected mentor: an air bubble. more

October 27, 2020
Press release of the American Institute of Physics on the publication "Stochastic effects on the dynamics of an epidemic due to population subdivision" by Philip Bittihn and Ramin Golestanian in Chaos. more

A new model that describes the organization of organisms could lead to a better understanding of biological processes more

Soft matter on new ways to self-organization more

July 29, 2020
To be successful strict local containment and low number of cross-regional infections are crucial more

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization uncover new mechanisms that regulate protein function more

Interactions of chemically active particles can be as complex as human relationships more

July 19, 2019 News coverage in Physics Buzz on the recent publication by Jaime Agudo-Canalejo and Ramin Golestanian in Physical Review Letters. more

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization show new mechanism of self-organization of living matter. more

Ramin Golestanian, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS) offered a guided tour of Göttingen's City Cemetery. more

MPIDS Researcher receives two -year Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation more

Ramin Golestanian, newly appointed Director at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization gives an interview to the renowned American Physical Society (APS) journal "Physics” more

Ramin Golestanian new Director at the MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organization more