Living matter and active matter, as a physical system, comprise ensembles of constituents that continuously consume energy to generate mechanical work, drive motion, and maintain structures far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Living matter refers to biological active systems such as cells, tissues, and cytoskeletal networks, where internal biochemical processes power self-propulsion, force generation, and adaptive responses. Active matter generalizes these features to biological and synthetic units (e.g., self-propelled colloids, active nematics) modeled as particles or fields with persistent energy input at the microscale. Both exhibit emergent collective phenomena, including spontaneous flows, pattern formation, phase separation, and anomalous transport, governed by nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and continuum active hydrodynamics.
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