The Harmony of Biology and Mathematics

            As we all remember in our high school or even in our college days there weren’t any equations or any formulae that arose in any biology subject. The book of Ian Stewart titled “The Mathematics of Life” puts the notion of a “math-less” life science to rest. He starts his fight with five biology-related topics: (i) the microscope; (ii) classification; (iii) evolution; (iv) Genetics; (v) The Structure of DNA.

            The microscope has math in it through its magnification and even in the lenses. Classification in idea can be broken down into basic binary. For example, you need to find the differences between two animals so if this animal has the trait that was being searched for then give that trait a one and if it doesn’t give that trait a zero. Evolution, Genetics can also be made into a binary sequence wherein these specific sequences can determine how animals would behave or look and even the lineage of such animals. Math basically is about patterns and also that is what the structure of DNA is. It’s a pattern of Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine and Thymine in a long double-helix strand that determines heredity and paternity. Math can find these patterns and help determine how a future infant can look like by using determined patterns in the DNA or the DNA can be used to determine what are the possible ailments that the individual can get may it be curable or incurable.

            For what medical research may had been, it is taking a bigger and faster leap for what can biology and mathematics can do together rather than individually.