February 28, 2003 Colloquium

Biological systems are complex and contain many levels of self-organization. Biomatter corresponds to the basic levels of this hierarchy and includes supramolecular assemblies and networks which represent the twilight zone between matter and life. Biomatter exhibits new cooperative phenomena which involve both spontaneous and active structure formation. These phenomena can be studied in a systematic way using biomimetic model systems such as multicomponent membranes and active materials based on molecular motors. The physics of these biomimetic systems provides (i) new insight into the more complex biological systems and (ii) the basics for their design and optimization in the context of bioengineering.