Predicting complex biology with simple chemistry

Predicting complex biology with simple chemistry.

O ne of the most important activities in science is the development of models, i.e., simpler representations, often by mathematical equations, of more complex systems, which capture key aspects of those systems. A model, of course, cannot be identical to its target system and must discard at least some of the features of the full system while focusing on those characteristics that the modeler c...

Probing complex biological systems with simple chemistry.

A simplified chemical model helps elucidate the spatiotemporal dynamics of blood clotting.

Complex systems: from chemistry to systems biology.

T here is great interest in complex systems in chemistry, biology, engineering, physics, and gene networks, among others. The complexity comes from the fact that in many systems there are a large number of variables, many connections among the variables including feedback loops, and many, usually nonlinear, equations of motion, or kinetic and transport equations. ‘‘Many’’ is a relative term; a ...

Zephyr Lilies: Simple Beauty Belies Complex Biology

Hydrogen sulfide, another simple gas with complex biology.

BACTERIAL INFECTIONS HAVE been one of the major scourges of humankind throughout history. Sepsis is recognized as a global health problem with an increasing incidence (5). The rate of hospitalization for sepsis more than doubled between 2000 and 2008 in the US (16). No monotherapy has been successful in improving mortality, including the recent failure of recombinant activated protein C to show...