Universal Biology

Living systems consist of diverse components and constitute a hierarchy, from molecules to cells to organisms, which adapt to external perturbations and reproduce stably. This book describes the statistical and physical principles governing cell growth and reproduction, and the mechanisms for adaptation through noise, kinetic memory, and robust cell differentiation through cell to cell interaction and epigenetics. The laws governing rate, direction, and constraints of phenotypic evolution are examined from the perspective of microscopic units (molecules) and macroscopic states (cells), with a focus on maintaining consistency between these length and temporal scales. By integrating theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches, this book offers novel insights into biology from a physicist’s perspective and provides a detailed picture of the universal characteristics of living systems. It is indispensable for students and researchers in physics, biology and mathematics interested in understanding the nature of life and the physical principles it is based upon.

Author Biography

Kunihiko Kaneko has been a Professor at the University of Tokyo for twenty-seven years, teaching mathematical biology, biophysics, and complex systems, and he is currently at the Niels Bohr Institute. He was also Stanislaw Ulam Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, visiting professor at Osaka University (Frontier Biosciences), University of Lyon, Freiburg University, and part of the external faculty of Santa Fe Institute, a member of the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton, and is a Founding Director of Center for Complex Systems Biology and Universal Biology Institute at the University of Tokyo.