Physics owes much of its success to the application of differential calculus. Correspondingly, most laws of physics are formulated as differential equations. This success has created the prejudice that a science cannot be ‘exact’ unless it stands firmly on a foundation of calculus. This doesn’t, however, work for biology. Living things are not as continuous, let alone differentiable, as most organisms and their parts change or end quite abruptly. Biology cannot offer differential equations for (say) the role of chromosomal telomeres in aging, or a link between macrophage polyploidy and cancer. The information flow between the limbic system and the frontal cortex is far too erratic to permit differentiation. The pheromone secretions that control the social order of ants follow no mathematical laws. The topology of the human skeleton is neither a perfect sphere, nor an idealized doughnut. However, all these and countless other biological phenomena decide life and death and are amazingly exact As such, instead of even trying to paint living things with the exquisitely resolving brush of differential calculus, we may accept that they are actually made up of individual and sizable ‘pixels’. Hence, this book presents a novel view of biology as the unified science of ‘living mosaics’, which consist of discrete, yet interacting, ‘tiles’, which, in turn, are such ‘mosaics’ in their own rights.

Illustrates the Complex Biochemical Relations that Permit Life to ExistIt can be argued that the dawn of the 21st century has emerged as the age focused on molecular biology, which includes all the regulatory mechanisms that make cellular biochemical reaction pathways stable and life possible. For biomedical engineers, this concept is essential to

Biology is a critical application area for engineering analysis and design, and students in engineering programs must be well-versed in the fundamentals of biology as they relate to their field. Biology for Engineers is an introductory text that minimizes unnecessary memorization of connections and classifications and instead emphasizes concepts, technology, and the utilization of living things. Whether students are headed toward a bio-related engineering degree or one of the more traditional majors, biology is so important that all engineering students should know how living things work and act. Classroom-tested at the University of Maryland, this comprehensive text introduces concepts and terminology needed to understand more advanced biology literature. Filled with practical detailed examples, the book presents: Scientific principles relevant to biology that all engineers must know A discussion of biological responses from the perspective of a broad range of fields such as psychology, human factors, genetics, plant and animal physiology, imaging, control systems, actuary, and medicine A thorough examination of the scaling of biological responses and attributes A classification of different types of applications related to biological systems Tables of useful information that are nearly impossible to find elsewhere A series of questions at the end of each chapter to test comprehension Emphasizing the ever-present interactions between a biological unit and its physical, chemical, and biological environments, the book provides ample instruction on the basics of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering. It brings together all of the concepts one needs to understand the role of biology in modern technology.

Many potential applications of synthetic and systems biology are relevant to the challenges associated with the detection, surveillance, and responses to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. On March 14 and 15, 2011, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop in Washington, DC, to explore the current state of the science of synthetic biology, including its dependency on systems biology; discussed the different approaches that scientists are taking to engineer, or reengineer, biological systems; and discussed how the tools and approaches of synthetic and systems biology were being applied to mitigate the risks associated with emerging infectious diseases. The Science and Applications of Synthetic and Systems Biology is organized into sections as a topic-by-topic distillation of the presentations and discussions that took place at the workshop. Its purpose is to present information from relevant experience, to delineate a range of pivotal issues and their respective challenges, and to offer differing perspectives on the topic as discussed and described by the workshop participants. This report also includes a collection of individually authored papers and commentary.

Every day it seems the media focus on yet another new development in biology--gene therapy, the human genome project, the creation of new varieties of animals and plants through genetic engineering. These possibilities have all emanated from molecular biology. A History of Molecular Biology is a complete but compact account for a general readership of the history of this revolution. Michel Morange, himself a molecular biologist, takes us from the turn-of-the-century convergence of molecular biology's two progenitors, genetics and biochemistry, to the perfection of gene splicing and cloning techniques in the 1980s. Drawing on the important work of American, English, and French historians of science, Morange describes the major discoveries--the double helix, messenger RNA, oncogenes, DNA polymerase--but also explains how and why these breakthroughs took place. The book is enlivened by mini-biographies of the founders of molecular biology: Delbrück, Watson and Crick, Monod and Jacob, Nirenberg. This ambitious history covers the story of the transformation of biology over the last one hundred years; the transformation of disciplines: biochemistry, genetics, embryology, and evolutionary biology; and, finally, the emergence of the biotechnology industry. An important contribution to the history of science, A History of Molecular Biology will also be valued by general readers for its clear explanations of the theory and practice of molecular biology today. Molecular biologists themselves will find Morange's historical perspective critical to an understanding of what is at stake in current biological research.