External seminar - Guillaume Salbreux (University of Geneva)

Abstract:

Morphogenesis of biological systems relies on mechanical forces at the mesoscopic, supracellular level to establish shape. Here I will discuss the physical theory of nematic active surfaces, which describes tensions and bending moments arising in active materials such as biological epithelia. I will discuss how leveraging this theory can allow us to understand the integration of mechanical modules during development, and how these mechanical modules can vary across species, using the examples of comparison of development of cnidarians - thus giving a concrete framework for “evo-devo-mechanobiology”.