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mathematical biology

An illustration of eyeballs connected to many hands painting the Mona Lisa.
mathematical biology

A Mathematical Model Unlocks the Secrets of Vision

By Kevin Hartnett
August 21, 2019
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Mathematicians and neuroscientists have created the first anatomically accurate model that explains how vision is possible.

Art for "The Math That Tells Cells What They Are"
mathematical biology

The Math That Tells Cells What They Are

By Jordana Cepelewicz
March 13, 2019
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During development, cells seem to decode their fate through optimal information processing, which could hint at a more general principle of life.

Abstractions blog

Ancient Turing Pattern Builds Feathers, Hair — and Now, Shark Skin

By Jonathan Lambert
January 2, 2019
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A primordial developmental toolkit shared by all vertebrates, and described by a theory of the mathematician Alan Turing, sets the growth pattern for all types of skin structures.

Art for "Biology and Computer Science Explore Algorithmic Evolution"
mathematical biology

Mathematical Simplicity May Drive Evolution’s Speed

By Jordana Cepelewicz
November 29, 2018
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Some researchers are using a complexity framework thought to be purely theoretical to understand evolutionary dynamics in biological and computational systems.

Illustration for "Mathematics Shows How to Ensure Evolution"
mathematical biology

Mathematics Shows How to Ensure Evolution

By John Rennie
June 26, 2018
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New results emerging from graph theory prove that the way a population is organized can guarantee the eventual triumph of natural selection — or permanently thwart it.

Photo of a grasshopper poised to jump.
biophysics

Too Small for Big Muscles, Tiny Animals Use Springs

By Viviane Callier
June 13, 2018
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Elastic springs help tiny animals stay fast and strong. New work is finding what size critters must be to benefit from the springs.

520px illustration for cell incubation time.
mathematical biology

Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues.

By Veronique Greenwood
March 1, 2018
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The long, variable times that some diseases incubate after infection defies simple explanation. An idealized model of tumor growth offers a statistical solution.

520px photo of Barbara Engelhardt
Q&A

A Statistical Search for Genomic Truths

By Jordana Cepelewicz
February 27, 2018
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The computer scientist Barbara Engelhardt develops machine-learning models and methods to scour human genomes for the elusive causes and mechanisms of disease.

Jessica Flack
Q&A

How Nature Solves Problems Through Computation

By Joshua Sokol
July 6, 2017
Read Later

The evolutionary biologist Jessica Flack seeks the computational rules that groups of organisms use to solve problems.


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