Biophysics

Interactions between the fields of physics and biology reach back over a century, and some of the most significant developments in biology--from the discovery of DNA's structure to imaging of the human brain--have involved collaboration across this disciplinary boundary. For a new generation of physicists, the phenomena of life pose exciting challenges to physics itself, and biophysics has emerged as an important subfield of this discipline. Here, William Bialek provides the first graduate-level introduction to biophysics aimed at physics students. Bialek begins by exploring how photon counting in vision offers important lessons about the opportunities for quantitative, physics-style experiments on diverse biological phenomena. He draws from these lessons three general physical principles--the importance of noise, the need to understand the extraordinary performance of living systems without appealing to finely tuned parameters, and the critical role of the representation and flow of information in the business of life. Bialek then applies these principles to a broad range of phenomena, including the control of gene expression, perception and memory, protein folding, the mechanics of the inner ear, the dynamics of biochemical reactions, and pattern formation in developing embryos. Featuring numerous problems and exercises throughout, Biophysics emphasizes the unifying power of abstract physical principles to motivate new and novel experiments on biological systems. Covers a range of biological phenomena from the physicist's perspective Features 200 problems Draws on statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and related mathematical concepts Includes an annotated bibliography and detailed appendixes Instructor's manual (available only to teachers)

Most of the specialists working in this interdisciplinary field of physics, biology, biophysics and medicine are associated with "The International Institute of Biophysics" (IIB), in Neuss, Germany, where basic research and possibilities for applications are coordinated. The growth in this field is indicated by the increase in financial support, interest from the scientific community and frequency of publications. Audience: The scientists of IIB have presented the most essential background and applications of biophotonics in these lecture notes in biophysics, based on the summer school lectures by this group. This book is devoted to questions of elementary biophysics, as well as current developments and applications. It will be of interest to graduate and postgraduate students, life scientists, and the responsible officials of industries and governments looking for non-invasive methods of investigating biological tissues.

Biophysics is a science that comprises theoretical plotting and models based on contemporary physicochemical conceptions. They mirror physical specificity of the molecular organization and elementary processes in living organisms, which in their turn form the molecular basis of biological phenomena. Presentation of a complete course in biophysics requires vast biological material as well as additional involvement of state-of-the-art concepts in physics, chemistry and mathematics. This is essential for the students to “perceive” the specific nature and peculiarity of molecular biological processes and see how this specificity is displayed in biological systems. This is the essence of the up-to-date biophysical approach to the analysis of biological processes. Fundamentals of Biophysics offers a complete, thorough coverage of the material in a straightforward and no-nonsense format, offering a new and unique approach to the material that presents the appropriate topics without extraneous and unneeded filler material.

In the first volume, Fundamental Concepts in Biophysics, the authors lay down a foundation for biophysics study. Rajiv Singh opens the book by pointing to the central importance of “Mathematical Methods in Biophysics”. William Fink follows with a discussion on “Quantum Mechanics Basic to Biophysical Methods”. Together, these two chapters establish some of the principles of mathematical physics underlying many biophysics techniques. Because computer modeling forms an intricate part of biophysics research, Subhadip Raychaudhuri and colleagues introduce the use of computer modeling in “Computational Modeling of Receptor–Ligand Binding and Cellular Signaling Processes”. Yin Yeh and coworkers bring to the reader’s attention the physical basis underlying the common use of fluorescence spectroscopy in biomedical research in their chapter “Fluorescence Spectroscopy”. Electrophysiologists have also applied biophysics techniques in the study of membrane proteins, and Tsung-Yu Chen et al. explore stochastic processes of ion transport in their “Electrophysiological Measurements of Membrane Proteins”. Michael Saxton takes up a key biophysics question about particle distribution and behavior in systems with spatial or temporal inhomogeneity in his chapter “Single–Particle Tracking”. Finally, in “NMR Measurement of Biomolecule Diffusion”, Thomas Jue explains how magnetic resonance techniques can map biomolecule diffusion in the cell to a theory of respiratory control. This book thus launches the Handbook of Modern Biophysics series and sets up for the reader some of the fundamental concepts underpinning the biophysics issues to be presented in future volumes.

An Up-to-Date Toolbox for Probing Biology Biophysics: Tools and Techniques covers the experimental and theoretical tools and techniques of biophysics. It addresses the purpose, science, and application of all physical science instrumentation and analysis methods used in current research labs. The book first presents the historical background, concepts, and motivation for using a physical science toolbox to understand biology. It then familiarizes students from the physical sciences with essential biological knowledge. The text subsequently focuses on experimental biophysical techniques that primarily detect biological components or measure/control biological forces. The author describes the science and application of key tools used in imaging, detection, general quantitation, and biomolecular interaction studies, which span multiple length and time scales of biological processes both in the test tube and in the living organism. Moving on to theoretical biophysics tools, the book presents computational and analytical mathematical methods for tackling challenging biological questions. It concludes with a discussion of the future of this exciting field. Future innovators will need to be trained in multidisciplinary science to be successful in industry, academia, and government support agencies. Addressing this challenge, this textbook educates future leaders on the development and application of novel physical science approaches to solve complex problems linked to biological questions.

They are each directed toward the understanding of a biological principle, with a particular emphasis on human biology.

The fun, easy way to get up to speed on biophysics concepts, principles, and practices One of the most diverse of modern scientific disciplines, biophysics applies methods and technologies from physics to the study of biological systems and phenomena, from the human nervous system to soil erosion to global warming. What are the best options for satisfying the world's growing energy demands? How can we feed the world's growing population? How can we contain, or reverse, global warming? How can we vouchsafe a plentiful supply of potable water for future generations? These are among the critical questions to which biophysicists work to provide answers. Biophysics courses are increasingly taken by students of biology, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, statistics, bioengineering, neuroscience, computer science, pharmacology, agriculture,and many more Provides a friendly, unintimidating overview of the material covered in a typical college-level biophysics course A one-stop reference, course supplement and exam preparation tool for university students currently enrolled in an introductory biophysics courses An indispensable resource for those studying the natural sciences, biological sciences, and physics, as well as math, statistics,computer science, pharmacology and many other disciplines The current job market for people well versed in biophysics is very strong, and biophysics is currently listed as one of the fast-growing occupations in the North America

This book describes modern biophysical techniques that enable us to understand and examine dynamic processes of infection at the molecular level. Cutting-edge research articles, laboratory protocols, case studies and up-to-date reviews cover topics such as single-molecule observation of DNA replication repair pathways in E. coli; evolution of drug resistance in bacteria; restriction enzymes as barriers to horizontal gene transfer in Staphylococcus aureus; infectious and bacterial pathogen biofilms; killing infectious pathogens through DNA damage; bacterial surfaces in host-pathogen interactions; bacterial gene regulation by riboswitches; transcription regulation in enterobacterial pathogens; the bacterial flagellar motor; initial surface colonization by bacteria; Salmonella Typhi host restrictions; as well as monitoring proton motive force in bacteria; microbial pathogens using digital holography; mathematical modelling of microbial pathogen motility; neutron reflectivity in studying bacterial membranes; force spectroscopy in studying infection and 4D multi-photon imaging to investigate immune responses. The focus is on the development and application of complex techniques and protocols at the interface of life sciences and physics, which increase the physiological relevance of biophysical investigations.