Veranstaltung

Antrittsvorlesung Prof. Dr. Timo Betz - Wanted: Dead or Alive –

Titel der Veranstaltung	Antrittsvorlesung Prof. Dr. Timo Betz - Wanted: Dead or Alive –
Reihe	Antrittsvorlesungen von neu an die Universität Göttingen berufenen Professorinnen und Professoren
Veranstalter	Fakultät für Physik
Referent/in	Prof. Dr. Timo Betz
Einrichtung Referent/in	III. Physikalisches Institut
Kategorie	Campus Leben
Anmeldung erforderlich	Nein
Beschreibung	Wanted: Dead or Alive – Deciphering the physics of life using non-equilibrium statistical mechanics – Understanding the physical principles that are used by living cells and organisms to perform their amazingly complex task is one of the holy grails that biophysics aims for. Despite the powerful toolboxes provided by physics in the form of experimental quantitative methods and theoretical models, the sheer complexity of living systems makes a clean description very challenging. One main problem is that the framework of statistical mechanics cannot be easily used in the non-equilibrium and continuously energy-consuming environments represented by living organisms. I will explain the problem by a case study of red blood cell membrane flickering. This motion of the most abundant cell of our blood was discovered about 130 years ago. During the past hundred years, an extensive and sometimes even emotional scientific debate unfolded in the quest to explain the nature of this erratic movement. Is it simply Brownian motion, or a sign of “live” that is driven by metabolic energy conversion? Using non-equilibrium physics approaches, we were able to solve the mystery. The methods that we developed to study red blood cells have been the starting point for a full set of new experimental and theoretical approaches to study the physics of living systems in general.
Zeit	Beginn: 04.12.2023, 16:30 Uhr Ende: 04.12.2023 , 17:30 Uhr
Ort	Fakultät für Physik (Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1) Max Born Hörsaal 2 (HS2)
Kontakt	+49 551 39 26921 timo.betz@phys.uni-goettingen.de