Biophysics examines biological phenomena according to the principles of physics.
The French word biophysique was derived, in our language, into the term biophysics . The concept is used to name the analysis of biological phenomena through the precepts of physics .
Biophysics is often considered a branch of physics that provides knowledge of interest to biology . However, it can also be said that biophysics is a branch of biology that provides evidence to physics.
Another way of defining biophysics is as the discipline that consists of applying the methods and theories of physics in the field of biology . In this way, it is possible to increase knowledge of biological systems.
Function of biophysics
What biophysics does, in short, is create a link between biology (the science that studies living beings in all their complexity) and physics (a specialty focused on the laws that regulate the behavior of nature). Biophysics is responsible for shortening the distance between the complexity of living organisms and the simplicity of physical laws. To achieve this, it is dedicated to the search for patterns in living beings and then analyzes them with the tools of physics.
Since life is the result of numerous physical-chemical processes, biophysics is responsible for studying the actors that participate in these processes, such as proteins and other molecules.
Biomechanics is one of the areas of study of biophysics.
Areas of study
In biophysics we can recognize different areas:
* biomechanics : focuses on the study of phenomena, laws and models that are relevant to the movement of living beings (which includes statics, dynamics and kinematics) and the structural response of various parts of the body;
* bioacoustics : generally involves the investigation of how sound is generated, how it is dispersed through a medium, and how it is perceived by animals;
* molecular motors : is interested in the way in which RNA and proteins, among other macromolecules, carry out mechanical work as the basis of their operation;
* protein dynamics : analyzes the molecular movements of proteins that are related to their function, folding or structure ;
* molecular communication : the act of transmitting and receiving information through molecules.
The National School of Molecular Biophysics
The National School of Molecular Biophysics is a week-long event that has taken place every year since 2000 in the Mexican state of Sonora , in the Physics Department of its university. The purpose of this event is to bring together many specialists in the field to offer various seminars that serve to increase dissemination .
Among the people who attend the biophysics convention are researchers, teachers and students from various fields, such as chemistry, biology and physics, who belong to many universities in the country as well as abroad. The school is divided into four short courses complemented by several research-based lectures . The organization usually has enough money to provide lodging and food for some of the students, for which it is necessary to make the relevant request.
The history of this event dates back to the beginning of this century, and was initially called the Summer School of Molecular Biophysics . The decision to change the name was based on the national character of the school ; however, it is common to refer to it simply as the School of Biophysics . It is important to note that its objective is to benefit students of all levels, so no one should be left out if they are truly passionate about the subject.