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mathematical biology

Latest Articles

The Joy of Why

Can We Program Our Cells?

By Steven Strogatz
March 8, 2023
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By genetically instructing cells to perform tasks that they wouldn’t in nature, synthetic biologists can learn deep secrets about how life works. Steven Strogatz discusses the potential of this young field with researcher Michael Elowitz.

Closeup video of a firefly flashing its abdomen, with other seemingly synchronized flashes in the background.
mathematical biology

How Do Fireflies Flash in Sync? Studies Suggest a New Answer.

By Joshua Sokol
September 20, 2022
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Field research suggests a new explanation for the synchronized flashing in fireflies and confirms that a novel form of “chimeric” synchrony occurs naturally.

Flying butterflies overlaid with the cobwebby pattern of a logistic diagram.
mathematical biology

Hidden Chaos Found to Lurk in Ecosystems

By Joanna Thompson
July 27, 2022
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New research finds that chaos plays a bigger role in population dynamics than decades of ecological data seemed to suggest.

Close-up video of bubbles in a lava lamp moving and splitting under the influence of heat.
origins of life

At the Dawn of Life, Heat May Have Driven Cell Division

By Carrie Arnold
November 23, 2021
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A mathematical model shows how a thermodynamic mechanism could have made protocells split in two.

patterns

Turing Patterns Turn Up in a Tiny Crystal

By Elena Renken
August 10, 2021
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The mechanism behind leopard spots and zebra stripes also appears to explain the patterned growth of a bismuth crystal, extending Alan Turing’s 1952 idea to the atomic scale.

2020 in Review

The Year in Biology

By John Rennie
December 23, 2020
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While the study of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the most urgent priority, biologists also learned more about how brains process information, how to define individuality and why sleep deprivation kills.

ecology

A Physicist’s Approach to Biology Brings Ecological Insights

By Gabriel Popkin
October 13, 2020
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The physicist Jeff Gore tests theories about microbe communities experimentally and finds new rules governing ecological stability.

Photograph of a bat in flight.
Abstractions blog

Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics?

By Rodrigo Pérez Ortega
August 24, 2020
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Studies suggest that self-disseminating vaccines could prevent the “spillover” of animal viruses into humans as pandemic diseases.

Photo of emperor penguins huddling together for warmth, with two sticking their heads out
Abstractions blog

Math of the Penguins

By Susan D'Agostino
August 17, 2020
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Emperor penguins display rigorously geometric spacing and mathematical efficiency when they huddle together for warmth, which may reveal secrets to their overall health.


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