What is Biophysics? Why is it Important?

One might consider the universality of physical theorems and the diversity found within the biological world to be conflicting, but the field of biophysics offers an interesting bridge between the two. In the mid 20th century, the advent of molecular biology, rooted in physics, revolutionized the field of biological sciences. However, the physical aspect remained relatively unexplored even then. It was a prevailing belief that trying to reconcile theoretical physics with the intricacies of complex biological systems was futile.

In today’s scientific community, one can witness physicists and biologists collaborating and complementing each other’s discoveries. The rigid boundaries between various disciplines are fading and biological physics (or biophysics) is a field gaining prominence by the day. It is now widely acknowledged that the phenomena dictating life and the behaviors of organisms are intricately linked to underlying fundamental principles of physics.

Processes such as the unfolding and folding of DNA, the mechanism behind human locomotion, membrane fusion are all based on physical laws. Even the analysis of collective behaviors of animals like swarming and flocking may be connected to dynamical systems theory. There is so much that can be learnt by delving into these complex processes in animals. The potential behind replicating and applying these findings holds promise for improving practical challenges and revolutionizing our daily lives. Examples all around us demonstrate that physics is not just restricted to isolated systems and ideal gases: bacterial sensing is dominated by low Reynolds number mechanics and diffusion, the movement of molecules across the selectively permeable cell membrane is based on their polarity and so on.

In the field of biophysics, researchers from various areas including math, chemistry, biology, pharmacology use their skills and work together to understand how life works. Some examples of topics include the communication between neurons, the process of photosynthesis using light, its transformation into chemical energy and the development of cancer cells triggered by DNA changes.

Often, biophysicists’ work involves determining the structure and dynamics of specific biological molecules and of the larger architecture into which they assemble. Their research on biomolecules plays a key role in the detection and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cancer and ALS.

Overall, biophysics involves using a highly interdisciplinary approach for identifying molecules and their structures and functions, in order to explain biological functions through their molecular mechanisms. Its far-reaching applications ranging from X-ray imaging and DNA analysis to neuroscience and the development of medical devices like pacemakers are of great importance.