Bacteria

Can one study organizing principles of living matter using materials science approaches? The eventual answer to this question may unveil the design principle of biological networks responsible for cellular behavior. For example, in condensed matter physics, researchers derive properties of electric conductors by monitoring the variations, also called noise, associated with an electric signal, which travels through conducting materials. Similarly, it is possible to derive fundamental properties of biological networks by monitoring the noise in intracellular signaling within individual living cells.