This review summarizes theoretical progress in the field of active matter, placing it in the
context of recent experiments. This approach offers a unified framework for the mechanical …

Active particles contain internal degrees of freedom with the ability to take in and dissipate
energy and, in the process, execute systematic movement. Examples include all living …

The mechanical behaviour of cells is largely controlled by a structure that is fundamentally
out of thermodynamic equilibrium: a network of crosslinked filaments subjected to the action …

The cortex is a thin, crosslinked actin network lying immediately beneath the plasma
membrane of animal cells. Myosin motors exert contractile forces in the meshwork. Because …

Life is characterized by a myriad of complex dynamic processes allowing organisms to grow,
reproduce, and evolve. Physical approaches for describing systems out of thermodynamic …

Cytokinesis, the final step in cell division, partitions the contents of a single cell into two. In
animal cells, cytokinesis occurs through cortical remodeling orchestrated by the anaphase …

Summary 3D amoeboid cell migration is central to many developmental and disease-related
processes such as cancer metastasis. Here, we identify a unique prototypic amoeboid cell …

The minimal structural unit of a solid tumor is a single cell or a cellular compartment such as
the nucleus. A closer look inside the cells reveals that there are functional compartments or …

We review the general hydrodynamic theory of active soft materials that is motivated in
particular by biological matter. We present basic concepts of irreversible thermodynamics of …

When cells move using integrin-based focal adhesions, they pull in the direction of motion
with large,∼ 100 Pa, stresses that contract the substrate. Integrin-mediated adhesions …