IQB 239: PHYSICAL BIOLOGY

University of California, Santa Barbara

The role of physics in biology through quantitative measurements and modeli ng, the organization of a cell, and exemplary quantitative results of biolo gical model systems. The physics of biologically relevant macromolecules, i ncluding DNA, RNA and mechanisms of transcription and translation; introduc tion to protein folding and the role of electrostatics in biology. The phys ics of the cytoskeleton including beam theory, persistence length, molecula r motors, instrumentation used to characterize motor properties, as well as the role of active stresses in cell biology. If time permits, a brief intr oduction to cell motility and the structure of epithelial tissue.