Nonequilibrium physics in biology

Abstract

Life is made of active matter that operates out of thermodynamic equilibrium by consuming energy. The nonequilibrium physics that connects the macroscopic feature of a living system from the molecular components making up the active matter is still not well understood. This review reports on major advances in the field of nonequilibrium dynamics and thermodynamics for bridging the knowledge gap in describing how biology works, from small molecular motors to aging, through the lens of a physicist.