Physical Biology of the Cell

"Physical Biology of the Cell" is an innovative text that explores how the basic tools and insights of physics and chemistry are able to illuminate the study of molecular and cellular biology. Drawing upon key examples and seminal experiments from cell biology, the book demonstrates how fundamental, quantitative models can help refine our understanding of existing biological data and also be used to make predictions. The book attempts to bridge traditional models in cell biology, particularly the use of cartoons, with the quantitative approach of traditional physics, in order to introduce the reader to both the possibilities and boundaries of the emerging field of physical biology. While teaching physical model building in cell biology through a practical, case-study approach, the text explores how and why quantitative modeling may ultimately contribute to a more profound, intuitive understanding of cell biology.

ISBN 0815341636   Pages 800 ISBN13 9780815341635 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc   Weight (grammes) 1672 Imprint Garland Publishing Inc   Published in CT Format Paperback   Height (mm) 279 Publication date 01 Nov 2008   Width (mm) 216 Library of Congress 2008030748   Spine width (mm) 25 DEWEY 571.6   Academic level Undergraduate DEWEY edition DC22

Pt. 1		The Facts of Life
Ch. 1		Why: Biology by the Numbers		3
Ch. 2		What and Where: Construction Plans for Cells and Organisms		29
Ch. 3		When: Stopwatches at Many Scales		75
Ch. 4		Who: "Bless the Little Beasties"		119
Pt. 2		Life at Rest
Ch. 5		Mechanical and Chemical Equilibrium in the Living Cell		167
Ch. 6		Entropy Rules!		215
Ch. 7		Two-State Systems: From Ion Channels to Cooperative Binding		257
Ch. 8		Random Walks and the Structure of Macromolecules		281
Ch. 9		Electrostatics for Salty Solutions		327
Ch. 10		Beam Theory: Architecture for Cells and Skeletons		357
Ch. 11		Biological Membranes: Life in Two Dimensions		407
Pt. 3		Life in Motion
Ch. 12		The Mathematics of Water		457
Ch. 13		A Statistical View of Biological Dynamics		481
Ch. 14		Life in Crowded and Disordered Environments		513
Ch. 15		Rate Equations and Dynamics in the Cell		539
Ch. 16		Dynamics of Molecular Motors		589
Ch. 17		Biological Electricity and the Hodgkin-Huxley Model		647
Pt. 4		The Meaning of Life
Ch. 18		Sequences, Specificity, and Evolution		681
Ch. 19		Network Organization in Space and Time		721
Ch. 20		Whither Physical Biology?		775
		Index		787

"![The] authors of Physical Biology of the Cell have produced one of the first multi-purpose textbooks that is readily accessible to both physicists and biologists!. When read from cover to cover, the book is both very instructive and highly entertaining with the authors using humour to deliver strong take-home messages in each chapter!.Physical Biology of the Cell provides instructors with excellent material to create a graduate level course in biology or physics. The book is also very timely as it presents the most recent views in cell biology. As physicists, we strongly agreed with the message of the authors, but will this be the case for our biologist colleagues? We will know for sure if blackboards in biology departments, like the sand on the book cover, are soon covered in equations!" Nature Cell Biology, August 2009 a "!a monumental undertaking by three outstanding experts in the field!the book is a rich collection of special topics in biophysics!" Quarterly Review of Biology, September 2009 Physical Biology of the Cell is beautifully crafted: self-contained and modular, it provided tutorials on fundamentals and has material to hold the interest of a more sophisticated reader. It is fast-paced, proceeding within each chapter from freshman basics to graduate level sophistication. The book requires minimal prerequisites: a curious mind and undergraduate calculus will go a long way. It can be used as an undergraduate or early graduate biophysics course in a physics or engineering department. In the context of a molecular cell biology course, it could complement Molecular Biology of the Cell (or its equivalent), serving as a vehicle to introduce biology students to a quantitative way of thinking about biology. To truly master the physics presented in the book, one should do the problems provided with each chapter. These problems are well thought out and are a major teaching resource. (The instructor can also obtain a set of solutions). Because of these features, Physical Biology of the Cell offers a great deal of flexibility as a teaching tool. Cell, November 2009

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