Active surfaces in biology

The ability of biological matter to move and deform itself is facilitated by microscopic out-of-equilibrium processes that convert chemical energy into mechanical work. In many cases, this mechano-chemical activity takes place on effectively two-dimensional domains formed by, for example, multicellular structures like epithelial tissues or the outer surface of eukaryotic cells, the so-called actomyosin cortex.
We will show in the first part of the talk, that the large-scale dynamics and self-organisation of such structures can be captured by the theory of active fluids. Specifically, using a minimal model of active isotropic fluids, we can rationalize the emergence of asymmetric epithelial tissue flows in the flower beetle during early development, and explain cell rotations in the context of active chiral flows and left-right symmetry breaking that occurs as the model organism C. elegans sets up its body plan.
To develop a more general understanding of such processes, specifically the role of geometry, curvature and interactions with the environment, we introduce in the second part a theory of active fluid surfaces and discuss analytical and numerical tools to solve the corresponding momentum balance equations of curved and deforming surfaces. By considering mechanical interactions with the environment and the fully self-organized shape dynamics of active surfaces, these tools reveal novel mechanisms of symmetry breaking and pattern formation in active matter.