On November 21, 2026, we invite you to the next edition of Saturday Morning Physics at the Pauluskirche in Bochum. Prof. Matthias Schneider is a professor of medical and biological physics at the Technical University of Dortmund and an associate professor at the School of Physics Department at Boston University. He will give a lecture on the topic “What Is Health, Really? Physics as Therapy in Medicine.”
Health can only be understood by taking into account the fundamental laws of nature—and any explanation of health and disease in our bodies must stand up to these laws of nature. Physics has already provided crucial insights in this area, such as in our understanding of the cardiovascular system: Thanks to physics, we now understand how this vital system works—and have thereby significantly increased human life expectancy.
Yet one of the challenges of modern medicine is to reunite what nature never separated: Nature does not recognize our artificial boundaries between physics, chemistry, and biology. When asking, “What is health, really?” it is instead more important to consider the environment in which a molecule is embedded. Much like water, which is either liquid or solid (in the form of ice) depending on the temperature, a molecule behaves differently depending on its environment. This insight is particularly important in cancer research, where not only genes play a role, but also the state of the cells. This demonstrates that health is more than the sum of its parts—it arises from the interplay of physics, chemistry, and biology.
When?November 21, 2026, 11:00 a.m.
Starting at 10:30a.m.,the student council will be serving waffles and coffee to visitors and would appreciate a small donation.
Where? St. Paul's Church in downtown Bochum, Grabenstraße 9
Admission is free.
With the “Saturday Morning Physics” series, we aim to bring the most fascinating questions in physics to the public and to downtown Bochum. The event is held in cooperation with the Evangelical Church Congregation of Bochum on three Saturdays during the 26/27 winter semester at the Pauluskirche.
Photos: Matthias Schneider © Roland Bage/TU Dortmund
Male cardiovascular system, artwork © Pixologicstudio/Science Photo Library, via Canva