Related papers: Open Problems in Mathematical Biology
We guide the reader on a journey through mathematical modeling and numerical analysis, emphasizing the crucial interplay of both disciplines. Targeting undergraduate students with basic knowledge in dynamical systems and numerical methods…
Mathematical research is often motivated by the desire to reach a beautiful result or to prove it in an elegant way. Mathematician's work is thus strongly influenced by his aesthetic judgments. However, the criteria these judgments are…
The modeling of complex systems such as ecological or socio-economic systems can be very challenging. Although various modeling approaches exist, they are generally not compatible and mutually consistent, and empirical data often do not…
With the relentless rise of computer power, there is a widespread expectation that computers can solve the most pressing problems of science, and even more besides. We explore the limits of computational modelling and conclude that, in the…
Mammalian brain is one of the most complex objects in the known universe, as it governs every aspect of animal's and human behavior. It is fair to say that we have a very limited knowledge of how the brain operates and functions.…
The theory of evolution by natural selection cannot be used to evaluate the truth value of the following proposition: Through evolution, there exists at least one species that can adapt to any one given environment. To address this issue,…
Theory and empirical science should be in constant dialogue, but often find it hard to understand one another. Here we describe a graduate-level university course we developed to improve matters. The course was designed to help…
Molecular dynamics (MD) has become a powerful tool for studying biophysical systems, due to increasing computational power and availability of software. Although MD has made many contributions to better understanding these complex…
Experimental life sciences like biology or chemistry have seen in the recent decades an explosion of the data available from experiments. Laboratory instruments become more and more complex and report hundreds or thousands measurements for…
Life science and statistics have necessarily become essential partners. The need to plan complex, structured experiments, involving elaborated designs, and the need to analyse datasets in the era of systems biology and high throughput…
Throughout the evolution of biological species on Earth, cells and organs have developed many complex structures and processes to ensure their interactions with individual chemical molecules (small and macromolecular) and nanoscale objects…
Statistics experiences a storm around the perceived misuse and possible abuse of its methods in the context of the so-called reproducibility crisis. The methods and styles of quantification practiced in mathematical modelling rarely make it…
Quantum computers can in principle solve certain problems exponentially more quickly than their classical counterparts. We have not yet reached the advent of useful quantum computation, but when we do, it will affect nearly all scientific…
Our understanding of the physics of biological molecules, such as proteins and DNA, is limited because the approximations we usually apply to model inert materials are not in general applicable to soft, chemically inhomogeneous systems. The…
If students are to successfully grapple with authentic, complex biological problems as scientists and citizens, they need practice solving such problems during their undergraduate years. Physics education researchers have investigated…
Advances in biology have mostly relied on theories that were subsequently revised, expanded or eventually refuted using experimental and other means. Theoretical biology used to primarily provide a basis to rationally examine the frameworks…
This book chapter attempts to counter anxieties in the humanities and social science about the role of big data in research by focusing on approaches which, by being firmly grounded in the traditional values of disciplines, enhance existing…
Mathematical modelling and ethics have more touching points than most of us would like to admit. Everyday decisions are often reasoned by mathematical arguments. Mathematics teachers belong to those mathematically literate, who must point…
Innovation in synthetic biology often still depends on large-scale experimental trial-and-error, domain expertise, and ingenuity. The application of rational design engineering methods promise to make this more efficient, faster, cheaper…
Mathematical oncology is an interdisciplinary research field where the mathematical sciences meet cancer research. Being situated at the intersection of these two fields makes mathematical oncology highly dynamic, as practicing researchers…