Biophysics

Biophysics applies physical principles and methods to explain biological structures, processes, and systems, from molecular interactions to whole organisms.

Statistical mechanics: A framework connecting the microscopic behavior of many particles to macroscopic properties such as temperature and pressure. It links molecular fluctuations to measurable properties of biological systems.
Thermodynamics: The study of heat, work, energy, and the transformations and constraints governing physical systems. Its energy and entropy principles constrain biological processes.
X-ray crystallography: A method for determining atomic arrangements in crystals from the diffraction of X-rays. It has revealed structures that allow physical analysis of biological molecules.
Erwin Schrödinger: An Austrian-Irish physicist whose 1944 book What Is Life? connected questions about heredity and life with physics. His book helped motivate physicists to investigate molecular biology.
Molecular biology: The study of biological processes at the level of molecules, especially nucleic acids and proteins. Biophysical measurements and models helped establish molecular explanations of life.
Brownian motion: The irregular movement of particles suspended in a fluid, caused by collisions with surrounding molecules. It describes how thermal motion drives molecules through cells.
Electromagnetism: The physical theory of electric and magnetic fields and their interactions with matter. Electrical and magnetic interactions shape molecular forces and biological signals.
Cryo-electron microscopy: A technique that images rapidly frozen specimens with an electron microscope to determine molecular structures. It resolves large biological assemblies without requiring them to form crystals.
Max Delbrück: A German-American physicist who became a founder of molecular genetics through work on bacteriophages. His path from physics to genetics exemplified a physical approach to biological questions.
DNA structure: The molecular arrangement of DNA, most commonly the double helix formed by two antiparallel nucleotide strands. Physical evidence and structural models revealed how DNA stores and copies information.

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