Physics, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is concerned with things that are not living, but our experience shows us that this separation is not quite correct. In fact, in many areas, the separation between biology and physics is not strict, and both utilize mathematics in order to explain their findings and model phenomena. Today, modern science understands that exploring and researching information removes those strict boundaries of the past, which consequently allows researchers to be more collaborative in their studies.
Key Takeaways:
- D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson argued that physical and mathematical laws explained the structure of organisms.
- In 2020, scientists in Israel used topology – a branch of pure math – to study the hydra.
- James Clerk Maxwell and later researchers linked information to order, entropy, and thermodynamics.
“In a striking reverse connection, in the 1940s Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger, founders of relativistic and quantum physics, respectively, projected that tackling questions of biological importance could also enhance physics.”
Read more: https://nautil.us/issue/102/hidden-truths/the-math-of-living-things
