Ebook: Physics of Biological Systems: From Molecules to Species

This book contains pedagogical introductions to a selection of the most exciting subjects in current biological physics: - Sorting DNA on a microchip: a first step towards miniature laboratories on a chip.
- Modeling protein folding, structure, and motion.
- Physics of organelles: mechanical characteristics of molecular motors; dynamics of microtubules; shapes of membranes, vesicles and cells.
- A physicist's view of brains and neurons; statistics of sensory signal processing.
- Evolutionary biology of molecules; pattern forming bacterial colonies; model ecologies with Darwinian co-evolution.
The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in physics, biology and mathematical modeling who have no prior knowledge of its subjects. Problems, methods, results, and perspectives are presented with the emphasis on general aspects and explanations, and only the necessary minimum of mathematical formalism is used.

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This book contains pedagogical introductions to a selection of the most exciting subjects in current biological physics: - Sorting DNA on a microchip: a first step towards miniature laboratories on a chip.
- Modeling protein folding, structure, and motion.
- Physics of organelles: mechanical characteristics of molecular motors; dynamics of microtubules; shapes of membranes, vesicles and cells.
- A physicist's view of brains and neurons; statistics of sensory signal processing.
- Evolutionary biology of molecules; pattern forming bacterial colonies; model ecologies with Darwinian co-evolution.
The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in physics, biology and mathematical modeling who have no prior knowledge of its subjects. Problems, methods, results, and perspectives are presented with the emphasis on general aspects and explanations, and only the necessary minimum of mathematical formalism is used.
Content:
Introduction: Physics - and the Physics of Biological Systems....Pages 1-8
Microchips for Sorting DNA....Pages 11-26
The Complexity of Proteins....Pages 29-60
The Energy Landscape Theory of Protein Folding....Pages 61-79
From Interatomic Interactions to Protein Structure....Pages 80-116
Probing Protein Motion Through Temperature Echoes....Pages 117-152
Motor Proteins....Pages 155-170
Shapes and Fluctuations in Membranes....Pages 171-188
Bending Energy Concept of Vesicle and Cell Shapes and Shape Transitions....Pages 189-212
Microtubule Dynamics....Pages 213-230
A Physicist’s Introduction to Brains and Neurons....Pages 233-251
Statistical Mechanics and Sensory Signal Processing....Pages 252-280
Molecular Evolutionary Biology....Pages 283-306
Smart Bacterial Colonies....Pages 307-324
Complementarity of Physics, Biology and Geometry in the Dynamics of Swimming Micro-Organisms....Pages 325-340
Mass Extinctions vs. Uniformitarianism in Biological Evolution....Pages 341-356

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This book contains pedagogical introductions to a selection of the most exciting subjects in current biological physics: - Sorting DNA on a microchip: a first step towards miniature laboratories on a chip.
- Modeling protein folding, structure, and motion.
- Physics of organelles: mechanical characteristics of molecular motors; dynamics of microtubules; shapes of membranes, vesicles and cells.
- A physicist's view of brains and neurons; statistics of sensory signal processing.
- Evolutionary biology of molecules; pattern forming bacterial colonies; model ecologies with Darwinian co-evolution.
The book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in physics, biology and mathematical modeling who have no prior knowledge of its subjects. Problems, methods, results, and perspectives are presented with the emphasis on general aspects and explanations, and only the necessary minimum of mathematical formalism is used.
Content:
Introduction: Physics - and the Physics of Biological Systems....Pages 1-8
Microchips for Sorting DNA....Pages 11-26
The Complexity of Proteins....Pages 29-60
The Energy Landscape Theory of Protein Folding....Pages 61-79
From Interatomic Interactions to Protein Structure....Pages 80-116
Probing Protein Motion Through Temperature Echoes....Pages 117-152
Motor Proteins....Pages 155-170
Shapes and Fluctuations in Membranes....Pages 171-188
Bending Energy Concept of Vesicle and Cell Shapes and Shape Transitions....Pages 189-212
Microtubule Dynamics....Pages 213-230
A Physicist’s Introduction to Brains and Neurons....Pages 233-251
Statistical Mechanics and Sensory Signal Processing....Pages 252-280
Molecular Evolutionary Biology....Pages 283-306
Smart Bacterial Colonies....Pages 307-324
Complementarity of Physics, Biology and Geometry in the Dynamics of Swimming Micro-Organisms....Pages 325-340
Mass Extinctions vs. Uniformitarianism in Biological Evolution....Pages 341-356
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