Biophysics is commonly defined as the disciplinary field located at the interface between physics and biology, dealing with the study of living systems through the language, methods, and models of physics. However, this general definition encompasses various interpretations within it.
In a first sense, of a technical-instrumental nature, biophysics is understood as the set of physical techniques and methodologies applied to biological research, thus configuring itself as an auxiliary discipline, lacking its own conceptual autonomy.
In a second perspective, of a structural-dynamic character, it is considered as a branch of condensed matter physics, specifically aimed at the study of living matter, assimilated to a state of matter endowed with peculiar properties.
Finally, in its most mature and widely accepted interpretation, biophysics is configured as the physics of living systems, understood as complex natural systems, characterized by high organization, openness to the environment, and the ability to evolve over time.
From this perspective, the activity carried out in this field does not so much aim to reduce biology to physics, nor to transpose biological concepts into the physical domain, but rather to clarify the relationship between the two disciplines, integrating reductionist approaches and holistic visions.
Living systems are thus analyzed as macroscopic open systems, far from thermodynamic equilibrium, in which flows of energy and matter sustain irreversible processes and non-linear dynamics, giving rise to emergent properties that cannot be traced back exclusively to elementary components.
Within this framework fall the concepts of resilience and fragility, which represent two complementary aspects of the behavior of living systems and are investigated from both an experimental and theoretical perspective.
Biological resilience can be defined as the ability of a living system to maintain or recover its organization and functionality following external or internal perturbations. It, therefore, does not imply simple passive resistance, but a dynamic behavior based on mechanisms of regulation, feedback, and internal restructuring, which allow the system to operate under variable conditions without losing its functional identity.