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.
Scientists have discovered how cells decide when to respond to physical forces, potentially opening new avenues for tackling diseases such as cancer and fibrosis.
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 29, 2026
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24
In tissue engineering, the tiniest bit of improper force can harm a living culture. Spheroids—3D clumps of cells—can be used to model complex human tissues, because they can re-create specific cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 28, 2026
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11
Understanding how wounds heal after injury could be a step closer thanks to a new mathematical model developed by researchers at the University of Bristol. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, builds on previous ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 27, 2026
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54
Biological tissues have a remarkable ability to organize and change shape, driven by forces generated by their own cells. One of the major challenges in bioengineering is harnessing this natural behavior to design synthetic ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 16, 2026
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22
Some animals can regrow lost body parts. Salamanders and frog tadpoles can rebuild entire limbs after amputation. Mammals cannot. For decades, biologists have tried to understand why. Now a team led by Can Aztekin at EPFL ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 9, 2026
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341
Experiments conducted in Brazil using laboratory rats have shown that graphene-based structures can act as a powerful ally in bone regeneration. These structures are made of sheets of the chemical element carbon that are ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 1, 2026
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323
Animals come in an extraordinary range of body shapes. A starfish looks nothing like an earthworm, a mouse, or a human. Yet even closely related species can appear radically different: corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2026
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18
Animal studies often fail to predict human tissue responses to new drugs or newly developed therapies. Besides generating tremendous costs for clinical studies, it also raises significant ethical concerns. Therefore, novel ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 19, 2026
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18
Livestock breeders could soon have more tools to improve the health and quality of their animals, thanks to a recent study that sheds new light on regulatory elements in the sheep genome.
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 16, 2026
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14
For decades, lab-grown cells have been studied in materials that don't reflect the softness and flexibility of human tissue. Now researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a water-rich, Jell-O-like material ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 16, 2026
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14
