Biological systems are beautiful examples of systems arbitrarily far from equilibrium. The Group of Statistical Mechanics [GSM] has contributed to the thermodynamics of fluctuating systems far from equilibrium.
A paradigmatic example is the ear hair-bundles of bullfrog’s sacculus known to manifest a strong violation of the classical fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We have shown in collaboration with J.F. Joanny and P. Martin’s groups at Insitiut Curie, that the generalized Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem can be restored for the hair-bundle if the adequate conjugate degree of freedom is used. Read the details here:
- Fluctuation-Response Theorem for the Active Noisy Oscillator of the Hair-Cell Bundle.
On a different topic, I have collaborated in the study of Dynamin GTPase, a protein that polymerizes into a helical coat that constricts membrane necks during membrane fission. We have shown that membrane shape and mechanical properties are essential for the control of the fission reaction. For further details read: