Spontaneously flowing active nematic films serve as an ideal model for more complex biologically relevant out-of-equilibrium biofluids, such as dense ensembles of bacteria and the subcellular cytoplasmic fluids. These biofluids are composed of anisotropic constituents that are intrinsically out-of-equilibrium due to their ability to do microscopic work on their surroundings, which results in collective motion and disorderly flows, called active turbulence. However, biofluids are typically more complex mixtures than model active nematics and often include a diverse assortment of inclusions. Such inclusions might include particulate matter, macromolecules, fixed obstacles or any number of solutes. In this seminar, I will introduce a numerical approach that is amenable to simulating mobile inclusions embedded in biofluids. I will present results on biofluids flowing through a porous medium of obstacles, discuss the dispersion of passive polymers suspended in flowing biofluids and unpick the interactions between colloidal discs and the topological defects that accompany active turbulence. These results demonstrate how active flows represent a pathway by which biological systems can control and impact the steady-state properties of passive inclusions.

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