As researchers have pursued biology's secrets to the molecular level, mathematical and computational sciences have become increasingly important in genome mapping, population genetics, and even the controversial search for "Eve," hypothetical mother of the human race. In this survey of the partnership between mathematical sciences and molecular biology, leading experts look at how mathematical research and methods can contribute to important discoveries in biology.
Calculating the Secrets of Life explores how differential geometry, topology, and differential mechanics have allowed researchers to "wind" and "unwind" DNA's double helix to understand the phenomenon of supercoiling. The book explains how mathematical tools are illuminating the workings of enzymes and proteins. And it describes how mathematicians are researching the origin, structure, and function of life bu applying stochastic and statistical theory to the study of DNA sequences.
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