The next breakthrough tool in biology? It's math. Here are some of the ways mathematical biology is helping to change the world
Biology is rich in patterns. You’ll find them everywhere – from the number of petals (which generally correspond to the number in the Fibonacci sequence), to the number of vertebrae in mammals (giraffes, humans, and quokkas all have seven neck vertebrae). In fact, many viruses follow patterns and have symmetry in their shells. Mathematics is essentially the science of patterns. Patterns can be subtle. So without using math to formally explain and understand it, we can skip it entirely. For a long time, biological research has largely progressed without the sophisticated mathematical modeling that is now at the core of physics, engineering, and climate. But this is changing. Mathematical biology is a growing field that promises to revolutionize microbiology, biotechnology, evolutionary biology and healthcare. With mathematics, scientific breakthroughs that previously required years of trial and error (and tons of trash) can be achieved in a very short time. Here are some of the r