Non-equilibrium physics of the epigenome

The self-organization of cells into complex organism is a striking example of a non-equilibrium system. Epigenetic modifications of the DNA play key roles and experimental breakthroughs in biology now allow us to profile such molecular states of cells with unprecedented detail. Drawing on these experiments, I will show how field theory methods from non-equilibrium statistical physics can unveil the biophysical principles that govern the time evolution of the epigenome. In the first part of my talk, I will show how non-equilibrium field theory and renormalisation group theory can make sense of an unexpected observation of self-similar scaling in the embryonic epigenome. I will then discuss how the interplay between geometric and chemical changes of the DNA constitutes a clock that determines the time scale of ageing.