Oxford University Physics Soc: Prof Sonia Contera "Physics Underlying the Shape of Living Organisms"

To be alive, biological organisms must grow and construct structures that endure the pass of time in a complex environment, without violating the second law of thermodynamics. This is achieved by constantly creating shapes that both store and dissipate mechanical energy; this process generates the temporal scales that are characteristic of biological growth patterns at different spatial scales. Understanding the physics of biological growth and shape therefore requires measurement of mechanical energy. In my class I discussed some of the physics involved, and since I am an experimentalist I explained the techniques use and develop to measure that; I used some maths but not too complicated. I also discussed how this work is not just interesting for biological physics, but also for the future of bioinspired computers and even, possibly quantum devices.