Physics of Cells

3 Credits

This course focuses on the physical principles underlying the organization of living cells, which spans several orders of magnitude in length and time. It provides an introduction to biological physics and relevant concepts of soft-matter physics. Topics include: self-organization of filaments and motor proteins of the cytoskeleton that determine cell shape and motion; the plasma membrane as a fluid responsive to environmental and biochemical signals; biological waves and pattern formation; mathematical modeling of biological systems; experimental methods and image analysis. Prerequisites: ( PHY 010 or PHY 011 ) and ( PHY 013 or PHY 021 ) Attribute/Distribution: NS, Q, W