Jun 11. 2025, 11:30 — 12:00
Cells are inherently soft and commonly change their shape to fulfil a function — such as to move, divide, connect with partners, or exchange material. Today I will present our recent research on computational modelling of cell shape changes across the tree of life, in a close collaboration with in vivo and in vitro data. I will particularly focus on physical mechanisms behind cell shape changes during cell division in different branches of the tree of life. I will then address cell reshaping driven by chemical exchanges between friends and foes in an ecological community, placed in the context of eukaryogenesis. Beyond their biological context, our modelling can help guide the design of artificial structures that are able to mimic life-like functions at the nanoscale.