The Art of Theoretical Biology

The Art of Theoretical Biology PDF Author: Franziska Matthäus
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030334716
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
This beautifully crafted book collects images, which were created during the process of research in all fields of theoretical biology. Data analysis, numerical treatment of a model, or simulation results yield stunning images, which represent pieces of art just by themselves. The approach of the book is to present for each piece of visualization a lucid synopsis of the scientific background as well as an outline of the artistic vision.

The Art of Theoretical Biology

The Art of Theoretical Biology PDF Author: Franziska Matthäus
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030334716
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Get Book Here

Book Description
This beautifully crafted book collects images, which were created during the process of research in all fields of theoretical biology. Data analysis, numerical treatment of a model, or simulation results yield stunning images, which represent pieces of art just by themselves. The approach of the book is to present for each piece of visualization a lucid synopsis of the scientific background as well as an outline of the artistic vision.

The Life Organic

The Life Organic PDF Author: Erik Peterson
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 082298198X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
As scientists debated the nature of life in the nineteenth century, two theories predominated: vitalism, which suggested that living things contained a "vital spark," and mechanism, the idea that animals and humans differed from nonliving things only in their degree of complexity. Erik Peterson tells the forgotten story of the pursuit of a Third Way in biology, known by many names, including "the organic philosophy," which gave rise to C. H. Waddington's work in the subfield of epigenetics: an alternative to standard genetics and evolutionary biology that captured the attention of notable scientists from Francis Crick to Stephen Jay Gould. The Life Organic chronicles the influential biologists, mathematicians, philosophers, and biochemists from both sides of the Atlantic who formed Joseph Needham's Theoretical Biology Club, defined and refined Third-Way thinking through the 1930s, and laid the groundwork for some of the most cutting-edge achievements in biology today. By tracing the persistence of organicism into the twenty-first century, this book also raises significant questions about how we should model the development of the discipline of biology going forward.

Quantitative Biology

Quantitative Biology PDF Author: Brian Munsky
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262347113
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 729

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Book Description
An introduction to the quantitative modeling of biological processes, presenting modeling approaches, methodology, practical algorithms, software tools, and examples of current research. The quantitative modeling of biological processes promises to expand biological research from a science of observation and discovery to one of rigorous prediction and quantitative analysis. The rapidly growing field of quantitative biology seeks to use biology's emerging technological and computational capabilities to model biological processes. This textbook offers an introduction to the theory, methods, and tools of quantitative biology. The book first introduces the foundations of biological modeling, focusing on some of the most widely used formalisms. It then presents essential methodology for model-guided analyses of biological data, covering such methods as network reconstruction, uncertainty quantification, and experimental design; practical algorithms and software packages for modeling biological systems; and specific examples of current quantitative biology research and related specialized methods. Most chapters offer problems, progressing from simple to complex, that test the reader's mastery of such key techniques as deterministic and stochastic simulations and data analysis. Many chapters include snippets of code that can be used to recreate analyses and generate figures related to the text. Examples are presented in the three popular computing languages: Matlab, R, and Python. A variety of online resources supplement the the text. The editors are long-time organizers of the Annual q-bio Summer School, which was founded in 2007. Through the school, the editors have helped to train more than 400 visiting students in Los Alamos, NM, Santa Fe, NM, San Diego, CA, Albuquerque, NM, and Fort Collins, CO. This book is inspired by the school's curricula, and most of the contributors have participated in the school as students, lecturers, or both. Contributors John H. Abel, Roberto Bertolusso, Daniela Besozzi, Michael L. Blinov, Clive G. Bowsher, Fiona A. Chandra, Paolo Cazzaniga, Bryan C. Daniels, Bernie J. Daigle, Jr., Maciej Dobrzynski, Jonathan P. Doye, Brian Drawert, Sean Fancer, Gareth W. Fearnley, Dirk Fey, Zachary Fox, Ramon Grima, Andreas Hellander, Stefan Hellander, David Hofmann, Damian Hernandez, William S. Hlavacek, Jianjun Huang, Tomasz Jetka, Dongya Jia, Mohit Kumar Jolly, Boris N. Kholodenko, Markek Kimmel, Michał Komorowski, Ganhui Lan, Heeseob Lee, Herbert Levine, Leslie M Loew, Jason G. Lomnitz, Ard A. Louis, Grant Lythe, Carmen Molina-París, Ion I. Moraru, Andrew Mugler, Brian Munsky, Joe Natale, Ilya Nemenman, Karol Nienałtowski, Marco S. Nobile, Maria Nowicka, Sarah Olson, Alan S. Perelson, Linda R. Petzold, Sreenivasan Ponnambalam, Arya Pourzanjani, Ruy M. Ribeiro, William Raymond, William Raymond, Herbert M. Sauro, Michael A. Savageau, Abhyudai Singh, James C. Schaff, Boris M. Slepchenko, Thomas R. Sokolowski, Petr Šulc, Andrea Tangherloni, Pieter Rein ten Wolde, Philipp Thomas, Karen Tkach Tuzman, Lev S. Tsimring, Dan Vasilescu, Margaritis Voliotis, Lisa Weber

Game-Theoretical Models in Biology

Game-Theoretical Models in Biology PDF Author: Mark Broom
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439853215
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 522

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Book Description
Covering the major topics of evolutionary game theory, Game-Theoretical Models in Biology presents both abstract and practical mathematical models of real biological situations. It discusses the static aspects of game theory in a mathematically rigorous way that is appealing to mathematicians. In addition, the authors explore many applications of game theory to biology, making the text useful to biologists as well. The book describes a wide range of topics in evolutionary games, including matrix games, replicator dynamics, the hawk-dove game, and the prisoner’s dilemma. It covers the evolutionarily stable strategy, a key concept in biological games, and offers in-depth details of the mathematical models. Most chapters illustrate how to use MATLAB® to solve various games. Important biological phenomena, such as the sex ratio of so many species being close to a half, the evolution of cooperative behavior, and the existence of adornments (for example, the peacock’s tail), have been explained using ideas underpinned by game theoretical modeling. Suitable for readers studying and working at the interface of mathematics and the life sciences, this book shows how evolutionary game theory is used in the modeling of these diverse biological phenomena.

Mathematics in Population Biology

Mathematics in Population Biology PDF Author: Horst R. Thieme
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691187657
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 564

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Book Description
The formulation, analysis, and re-evaluation of mathematical models in population biology has become a valuable source of insight to mathematicians and biologists alike. This book presents an overview and selected sample of these results and ideas, organized by biological theme rather than mathematical concept, with an emphasis on helping the reader develop appropriate modeling skills through use of well-chosen and varied examples. Part I starts with unstructured single species population models, particularly in the framework of continuous time models, then adding the most rudimentary stage structure with variable stage duration. The theme of stage structure in an age-dependent context is developed in Part II, covering demographic concepts, such as life expectation and variance of life length, and their dynamic consequences. In Part III, the author considers the dynamic interplay of host and parasite populations, i.e., the epidemics and endemics of infectious diseases. The theme of stage structure continues here in the analysis of different stages of infection and of age-structure that is instrumental in optimizing vaccination strategies. Each section concludes with exercises, some with solutions, and suggestions for further study. The level of mathematics is relatively modest; a "toolbox" provides a summary of required results in differential equations, integration, and integral equations. In addition, a selection of Maple worksheets is provided. The book provides an authoritative tour through a dazzling ensemble of topics and is both an ideal introduction to the subject and reference for researchers.

Levels of Organization in the Biological Sciences

Levels of Organization in the Biological Sciences PDF Author: Daniel S. Brooks
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262045338
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Scientific philosophers examine the nature and significance of levels of organization, a core structural principle in the biological sciences. This volume examines the idea of levels of organization as a distinct object of investigation, considering its merits as a core organizational principle for the scientific image of the natural world. It approaches levels of organization--roughly, the idea that the natural world is segregated into part-whole relationships of increasing spatiotemporal scale and complexity--in terms of its roles in scientific reasoning as a dynamic, open-ended idea capable of performing multiple overlapping functions in distinct empirical settings. The contributors--scientific philosophers with longstanding ties to the biological sciences--discuss topics including the philosophical and scientific contexts for an inquiry into levels; whether the concept can actually deliver on its organizational promises; the role of levels in the development and evolution of complex systems; conditional independence and downward causation; and the extension of the concept into the sociocultural realm. Taken together, the contributions embrace the diverse usages of the term as aspects of the big picture of levels of organization. Contributors Jan Baedke, Robert W. Batterman, Daniel S. Brooks, James DiFrisco, Markus I. Eronen, Carl Gillett, Sara Green, James Griesemer, Alan C. Love, Angela Potochnik, Thomas Reydon, Ilya Tëmkin, Jon Umerez, William C. Wimsatt, James Woodward

Theoretical Biology

Theoretical Biology PDF Author: Brian C. Goodwin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780801845192
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
How does complexity of development, structure, and function of organisms emerge from the relative simplicity of biochemistry and genetics? In Theoretical Biology, Brian Goodwin and Peter Saunders bring together a distinguished group of contributors to provide a broad-based yet coherent inquiry into biological processes. In the spirit of C. H. Waddington's Towards a Theoretical Biology, the authors seek to establish the generative principles that apply throughout the field of biology to give a unifying logical structure to diverse empirical phenomena. Major topics include self-organization in complex systems; order and adaptability in genetic networks; development and evolution; and the relevance of physics and mathematics to biology.

The Theoretical Biologist's Toolbox

The Theoretical Biologist's Toolbox PDF Author: Marc Mangel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139455869
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Mathematical modelling is widely used in ecology and evolutionary biology and it is a topic that many biologists find difficult to grasp. In this new textbook Marc Mangel provides a no-nonsense introduction to the skills needed to understand the principles of theoretical and mathematical biology. Fundamental theories and applications are introduced using numerous examples from current biological research, complete with illustrations to highlight key points. Exercises are also included throughout the text to show how theory can be applied and to test knowledge gained so far. Suitable for advanced undergraduate courses in theoretical and mathematical biology, this book forms an essential resource for anyone wanting to gain an understanding of theoretical ecology and evolution.

Evolutionary Causation

Evolutionary Causation PDF Author: Tobias Uller
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262039923
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
A comprehensive treatment of the concept of causation in evolutionary biology that makes clear its central role in both historical and contemporary debates. Most scientific explanations are causal. This is certainly the case in evolutionary biology, which seeks to explain the diversity of life and the adaptive fit between organisms and their surroundings. The nature of causation in evolutionary biology, however, is contentious. How causation is understood shapes the structure of evolutionary theory, and historical and contemporary debates in evolutionary biology have revolved around the nature of causation. Despite its centrality, and differing views on the subject, the major conceptual issues regarding the nature of causation in evolutionary biology are rarely addressed. This volume fills the gap, bringing together biologists and philosophers to offer a comprehensive, interdisciplinary treatment of evolutionary causation. Contributors first address biological motivations for rethinking evolutionary causation, considering the ways in which development, extra-genetic inheritance, and niche construction challenge notions of cause and process in evolution, and describing how alternative representations of evolutionary causation can shed light on a range of evolutionary problems. Contributors then analyze evolutionary causation from a philosophical perspective, considering such topics as causal entanglement, the commingling of organism and environment, and the relationship between causation and information. Contributors John A. Baker, Lynn Chiu, David I. Dayan, Renée A. Duckworth, Marcus W Feldman, Susan A. Foster, Melissa A. Graham, Heikki Helanterä, Kevin N. Laland, Armin P. Moczek, John Odling-Smee, Jun Otsuka, Massimo Pigliucci, Arnaud Pocheville, Arlin Stoltzfus, Karola Stotz, Sonia E. Sultan, Christoph Thies, Tobias Uller, Denis M. Walsh, Richard A. Watson

Cognitive Biology

Cognitive Biology PDF Author: Luca Tommasi
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262012936
Category : Adaptation (Physiology)
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
In the past few decades, sources of inspiration in the multidisciplinary field of cognitive science have widened. In addition to ongoing vital work in cognitive and affective neuroscience, important new work is being conducted at the intersection of psychology and the biological sciences in general. This volume offers an overview of the cross-disciplinary integration of evolutionary and developmental approaches to cognition in light of these exciting new contributions from the life sciences. This research has explored many cognitive abilities in a wide range of organisms and developmental stages, and results have revealed the nature and origin of many instances of the cognitive life of organisms. Each section of this book deals with a key domain of cognition: spatial cognition; the relationships among attention, perception, and learning, representations of numbers and economic values; and social cognition. Contributors discuss each topic from the perspectives of psychology and neuroscience, brain theory and modeling, evolutionary theory, ecology, genetics, and developmental science.