Les Houches lectures on flow networks in biology
Swarnavo Basu, Karen Alim
SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 101 (2025) · published 10 October 2025
Part of the 2023-07: Theoretical Biological Physics 2023 Collection in the Les Houches Summer School Lecture Notes Series.
- doi: 10.21468/SciPostPhysLectNotes.101
- Submissions/Reports
-
Abstract
Flows are essential to transport resources over large distances. As soon as diffusion becomes time-limiting, flows are needed. Flows are key for the function of multiple human organs, from the blood vasculature to the lungs, the digestive tract, the lymphatic system, and many more. While physics governs the flow dynamics, biology's response to flows governs the flow network architecture. We start with the fluid physics of Stokes flow, the prerequisite to describe the flows in biological flow networks. Then we explore how the network adaptation dynamics of biological flow networks reorganize network architecture to minimize flow dissipation or homogenize transport, storing memories of past flows along the way.
Authors / Affiliation: mappings to Contributors and Organizations
See all Organizations.- 1 Swarnavo Basu,
- 1 Karen Alim
