Abstract
Developments in physical sciences over the last couple hundred years have enabled us to understand the nature and general tendencies of the matter that comprises much of the observable universe. Missing from this picture, however, is a general understanding of where living things fit in. Life tends to be comprised of active components, who themselves are little open systems interacting in complex ways with each other and their environments and who are consequently not easily described by equilibrium theories like classical Thermodynamics. I'll talk about my work observing large collectives (of locusts and fish) as a kind of 'living matter' as a way to try to improve our understanding of living systems in general.
About the speaker
Luke Costello is a PostDoc in the Department of Collective Behavior at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPIAB). He received a BS in Chemistry from Oregon State University, an MS in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Delaware, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His current research interests are in applying concepts from chemistry and physics to understanding the biology of large collectives and also vice versa - using observations of large biological systems to understand basic principles of nature.