Tardes de BioMatemática

Welcome to our website for the recurring meeting of (some part of) the Mathematical-Biology community in the Lisbon area, currently organized by Davide Masoero and Léonard Monsaingeon, in collaboration with the ISA Mathematics Department and the Mathematicss for Health and Biological Sciences (MatHBioS) thematic line from NOVA.Math.  We try to meet once every other month, with one or two seminars per session followed by tea/coffee break and informal discussions.

Meeting #5: Thursday 26/11/2026, 14h30-16h30

14:30 Diogo Pinto (CFTC FCUL Lisbon) - Room S2  (Bloco de Aulas)

When Tissues Flow and Fracture: The Emergent Behaviour of Living Matter 

Abstract: Living tissues are dynamic materials, constantly shaped by the forces and motions of their constituent cells. Unlike passive materials, cells continuously consume energy, generate forces, and respond to their surroundings, giving rise to rich collective behaviours. In this talk, I’ll explore how basic physical principles such as elasticity, viscosity, and active forces help us understand tissue organization. Using tools from statistical and continuum physics, we can uncover how simple local interactions between cells give rise to emergent mechanical behaviours, from collective motion to fluid-like states. I’ll conclude with recent work showing how these collective dynamics can spontaneously drive ruptures in epithelial layers, revealing how the same cellular activity that organizes living tissues can also compromise their integrity.

15:45 Tea and Parallel Discussions. Mathematics Building (Sertório do Monte Pereira)