Physical Biology of the Cell

Catalog description

The role of physics in biology through quantitative measurements and modeling, the organization of a cell, and exemplary quantitative results of biological model systems. The physics of biologically relevant macromolecules, including DNA, RNA and mechanisms of transcription and translation; introduction to protein folding and the role of electrostatics in biology. The physics of the cytoskeleton including beam theory, persistence length, molecular motors, instrumentation used to characterize motor properties, as well as the role of active stresses in cell biology. If time permits, a brief introduction to cell motility and the structure of epithelial tissue.