12/1/2026, 1600h, IISER Pune, talk by Prof. Sitabhra Sinha "The body electric"

[chaitanya athale]

Title : The Body Electric

Speaker : Prof. Sitabhra Sinha

                 Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai

Abstract : 

While diffusion and advection dominate transport at the cellular scale, larger multicellular life is only possible with the rise of cells that can use electrical currents allowing rapid signaling and hence, coordination across tissues and organisms. Such "excitable" cells are in fact ubiquitous in our body, from the uterus to the islets of Langerhans, from the heart to the brain. Although these organs have different functions, their working share in common the central role that electrical signals play in their functioning. The talk will show how physics helps explain how the excitable cells work, using membrane-bound proteins to generate ionic currents that result in action potentials that travel as waves across cells and tissues. Such electrical signals are very often used to control muscle action, while mechanical deformation of tissue can in turn generate cellular current S, in a fascinating interplay of mechanics and electricity. Understanding the science of how the current- mechanics interactions work can help in designing next-gen therapies for treating life-threatening disorders such as cardiac arrhythmia or premature uterine contractions.

Date & Time: Monday, January 12, 2026, at 4:00 pm

Venue: Seminar Hall 31, 2nd Floor, Main Building

Host: Prof. M S Santhanam

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Chaitanya Athale,
Pune, India
18° 31' N, 73° 55' E, 

18.55°N, 73.81°E, 560m.

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Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.- Philp K. Dick