In the context of physical systems, tissues are hierarchically organized assemblies of cells and extracellular matrix that exhibit emergent mechanical, transport, and signaling properties distinct from those of their individual components. They function as active, viscoelastic materials capable of growth, remodeling, force generation, and collective migration, governed by mechano-chemical feedback and spatial patterning. Tissue-level behavior arises from cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, including adhesion, cytoskeletal dynamics, and morphogen gradients, and can be modeled using continuum mechanics, active matter frameworks, or agent-based approaches to capture processes such as morphogenesis, homeostasis, and mechanotransduction in developmental and physiological systems.
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