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mathematical biology

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Photo of green leafy plants in close-up.
Abstractions blog

Why Are Plants Green? To Reduce the Noise in Photosynthesis.

By Rodrigo Pérez Ortega
July 30, 2020
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Plants ignore the most energy-rich part of sunlight because stability matters more than efficiency, according to a new model of photosynthesis.

Illustration of a flying albatross, a swimming basking shark and the Lévy walk paths they take.
behavior

Random Search Wired Into Animals May Help Them Hunt

By Liam Drew
June 11, 2020
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The nervous systems of foraging and predatory animals may prompt them to move along a special kind of random path called a Lévy walk to find food efficiently when no clues are available.

A rock, a piece of paper and a pair of scissors, each formed from a mass of microbes, are arranged in a cycle.
ecology

Biodiversity May Thrive Through Games of Rock-Paper-Scissors

By Carrie Arnold
March 5, 2020
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Recent findings add weight to the evidence that the intransitive competitions between species enrich the diversity of nature.

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.
biomechanics

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.


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