In March 2000 leading scientists gathered at the Centro Seminariale Monte Verità, Ascona, Switzerland, for the Third International Symposium on "Fractals 2000 in Biology and Medicine". This interdisciplinary conference provided stimulating contributions from the very topical field Fractals in Biology and Medicine. This volume highlights the growing power and efficacy of the fractal geometry in understanding how to analyze living phenomena and complex shapes.

This volume is number four in a series of proceedings volumes from the International Symposia on Fractals in Biology and Medicine in Ascona, Switzerland which have been inspired by the work of Benoît Mandelbrot seeking to extend the concepts towards the life sciences. It highlights the potential that fractal geometry offers for elucidating and explaining the complex make-up of cells, tissues and biological organisms either in normal or in pathological conditions.

A deeply detailed discussion of fractals in biology, heterogeneous chemistry, polymers, and the earth sciences. Beginning with a general introduction to fractal geometry it continues with eight chapters on self-organized criticality, rough surfaces and interfaces, random walks, chemical reactions, and fractals in chemisty, biology, and medicine. A special chapter entitled "Computer Exploration of Fractals, Chaos, and Cooperativity" presents computer demonstrations of fractal models: 14 programs are included on a 3 1/2" MS-DOS diskette which run on any PC with at least 1 MB RAM and a EGA or VGA graphics card, 16 colors.

"Fractals in Biology and Medicine, Volume 2" explores the potential of the fractal geometry in understanding how to analyse natural shapes. The volume devotes special emphasis to the complex field of human tumours.

I know that most men, including those at ease with the problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives. Joseph Ford quoting Tolstoy (Gleick, 1987) We are used to thinking that natural objects have a certain form and that this form is determined by a characteristic scale. If we magnify the object beyond this scale, no new features are revealed. To correctly measure the properties of the object, such as length, area, or volume, we measure it at a resolution finer than the characteristic scale of the object. We expect that the value we measure has a unique value for the object. This simple idea is the basis of the calculus, Euclidean geometry, and the theory of measurement. However, Mandelbrot (1977, 1983) brought to the world's attention that many natural objects simply do not have this preconceived form. Many of the structures in space and processes in time of living things have a very different form. Living things have structures in space and fluctuations in time that cannot be characterized by one spatial or temporal scale. They extend over many spatial or temporal scales.

"Fractals in Biology and Medicine" explores the potential of fractal geometry for describing and understanding biological organisms, their development and growth as well as their structural design and functional properties. It extends these notions to assess changes associated with disease in the hope to contribute to the understanding of pathogenetic processes in medicine. The book is the first comprehensive presentation of the importance of the new concept of fractal geometry for biological and medical sciences. It collates in a logical sequence extended papers based on invited lectures and free communications presented at a symposium in Ascona, Switzerland, attended by leading scientists in this field, among them the originator of fractal geometry, Benoit Mandelbrot. "Fractals in Biology and Medicine" begins by asking how the theoretical construct of fractal geometry can be applied to biomedical sciences and then addresses the role of fractals in the design and morphogenesis of biological organisms as well as in molecular and cell biology. The consideration of fractal structure in understanding metabolic functions and pathological changes is a particularly promising avenue for future research.

This exceptional book is concerned with the application of fractals and chaos, as well as other concepts from nonlinear dynamics to biomedical phenomena. Herein we seek to communicate the excitement being experienced by scientists upon making application of these concepts within the life sciences. Mathematical concepts are introduced using biomedical data sets and the phenomena being explained take precedence over the mathematics. In this new edition what has withstood the test of time has been updated and modernized; speculations that were not borne out have been expunged and the breakthroughs that have occurred in the intervening years are emphasized. The book provides a comprehensive overview of a nascent theory of medicine, including a new chapter on the theory of complex networks as they pertain to medicine.

Fractal Geometry in Biological Systems was written by the leading experts in the field of mathematics and the biological sciences together. It is intended to inform researchers in the bringing about the fundamental nature of fractals and their widespread appearance in biological systems. The chapters explain how the presence of fractal geometry can be used in an analytical way to predict outcomes in systems, to generate hypotheses, and to help design experiments. The authors make the mathematics accessible to a wide audience and do not assume prior experience in this area.

This third edition covers topics in physics as they apply to the life sciences, specifically medicine, physiology, nursing and other applied health fields. It includes many figures, examples and illustrative problems and appendices which provide convenient access to the most important concepts of mechanics, electricity, and optics.

Many are familiar with the beauty and ubiquity of fractal forms within nature. Unlike the study of smooth forms such as spheres, fractal geometry describes more familiar shapes and patterns, such as the complex contours of coastlines, the outlines of clouds, and the branching of trees. In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Falconer looks at the roots of the 'fractal revolution' that occurred in mathematics in the 20th century, presents the 'new geometry' of fractals, explains the basic concepts, and explores the wide range of applications in science, and in aspects of economics. This is essential introductory reading for students of mathematics and science, and those interested in popular science and mathematics. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.