Physical Biology of the Cell

Robert Brooks Phillips, Jane Kondev, Julie Theriot

Garland Science, 2009 - Science - 807 pages

Physical Biology of the Cell is a biophysics textbook that explores how the basic tools and insights of physics and mathematics can illuminate the study of molecular and cell biology. Drawing on key examples and seminal experiments from cell biology, the book demonstrates how quantitative models can help refine our understanding of existing biological data and also be used to make useful predictions. The book blends traditional models in cell biology with the quantitative approach typical in physics, in order to introduce the reader to both the possibilities and boundaries of the emerging field of physical biology. While teaching physical model building in cell biology through a practical, case-study approach, the text explores how quantitative modeling can be used to build a more profound, intuitive understanding of cell biology.

What people are saying

User Review -

I really admire the careful way this book was written. It reflects the curiosity and excitement of the authors. It's too bad more textbooks are not written this way.

About the author

Rob Phillips is in the Department of Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He received a PhD in physics from Washington University in St. Louis.

Jane Kondev is in the Department of Physics and the Graduate Program in Quantitative Biology at Brandeis University. He attended the Mathematical High School in Belgrade, Serbia, received his Physics BS degree from the University of Belgrade, and his PhD from Cornell University.

Julie Theriot is in the Department of Biochemistry and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She received concurrent BS degrees in Physics and Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of California at San Francisco.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Physical Biology of the Cell
• Authors: Robert Brooks Phillips, Jane Kondev, Julie Theriot
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Garland Science, 2009
• ISBN: 0815341636, 9780815341635
• Length: 807 pages
• Subjects: Science / Life Sciences / Biology