Bio by Numbers

2 credits · Graduate

Focus on development of basic skills for quantitative reasoning in biology, including order-of-magnitude estimation and use of the broad spectrum of time scales to enable understanding. Primary examples include going from molecular size and time scales to functions of single cells, going from mutational and selective processes acting on organisms to evolution of populations and going from energy use of cells and humans to global scale biogeochemistry. Limits on perception and brain function will also be discussed.