Mathematical Biology - (Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics) 2nd Edition by Ronald W Shonkwiler & James Herod (Hardcover)

About the Book

This text presents mathematical biology as a field with a unity of its own, rather than only the intrusion of one science into another. The book focuses on problems of contemporary interest, such as cancer, genetics, and the rapidly growing field of genomics.

Book Synopsis

Biology is a source of fascination for most scientists, whether their training is in the life sciences or not. In particular, there is a special satisfaction in discovering an understanding of biology in the context of another science like mathematics. For- nately there are plenty of interesting problems (and fun) in biology, and virtually all scienti?c disciplines have become the richer for it. For example, two major journals, MathematicalBiosciences andJournalofMathematicalBiology, have tripled in size since their inceptions 20-25 years ago. More recently, the advent of genomics has spawned whole new ?elds of study in thebiosciences, ?eldssuchasproteomics, comparativegenomics, genomicmedicine, pharmacogenomics, and structural genomics among them. These new disciplines are as much mathematical as biological. Thevariousscienceshaveagreatdealtogivetooneanother, buttherearestilltoo many fences separating them. In writing this book we have adopted the philosophy that mathematical biology is not merely the intrusion of one science into another, but that it has a unity of its own, in which both biology and mathematics should be equal, complete, and ?ow smoothly into and out of one another. There is a timeliness in calculating a protocol for administering a drug. Likewise, the signi?cance of bones being "sinks'' for lead accumulation while bonemeal is being sold as a dietary c- cium supplement adds new meaning to mathematics as alifescience. The dynamics of a compartmentalized system are classical; applications to biology can be novel. Exponential and logistic population growths are standard studies; the delay in the increaseofAIDScasesbehindtheincreaseintheHIV-positivepopulationisprovo- tive.

From the Back Cover

This text presents mathematical biology as a field with a unity of its own, rather than only the intrusion of one science into another. It updates an earlier successful edition and greatly expands the concept of the "computer biology laboratory," giving students a general perspective of the field before proceeding to more specialized topics. The book focuses on problems of contemporary interest, such as cancer, genetics, and the rapidly growing field of genomics. It includes new chapters on parasites, cancer, and phylogenetics, along with an introduction to online resources for DNA, protein lookups, and popular pattern matching tools such as BLAST. In addition, the emerging field of algebraic statistics is introduced and its power illustrated in the context of phylogenetics.

A unique feature of the book is the integration of a computer algebra system into the flow of ideas in a supporting but unobtrusive role. Syntax for both the Maple and Matlab systems is provided in a tandem format. The use of a computer algebra system gives the students the opportunity to examine "what if" scenarios, allowing them to investigate biological systems in a way never before possible. For students without access to Maple or Matlab, each topic presented is complete. Graphic visualizations are provided for all mathematical results.

Mathematical Biology includes extensive exercises, problems and examples. A year of calculus with linear algebra is required to understand the material presented. The biology presented proceeds from the study of populations down to the molecular level; no previous coursework in biology is necessary. The book is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students studying mathematics or biology and for scientists and researchers who wish to study the applications of mathematics and computers in the natural sciences.

Review Quotes

From the reviews of the second edition:

"This is a well conceived introduction into some of the most important fields of biomathematics. It aims mainly at undergraduates in mathematics but will be suitable for students who have passed a one-year course of calculus and some linear algebra. ... Each chapter starts with a biological motivation and an introduction of the basic biology required." (R. Bürger, Monatshefte für Mathematik, Vol. 169 (2), February, 2013)