Abstract
Biophysics, in its historical development as an interdisciplinary field of research between physics and biology, started from a rather particular subject, namely, the effect of irradiation, especially of high-energy X-rays, on chromosomes and the genetic information carried by them. However, biophysics has evolved to a much broader field of research encompassing a large variety of very different and vivid scientific activities between physics and biology. To give a preliminary and global definition of biophysics according to today’s interpretation, one could comprise all its individual lines into the question: What methods and concepts can physics contribute to an analysis of biological systems?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsAuthor information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1977 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Schnakenberg, J. (1977). Introduction. In: Thermodynamic Network Analysis of Biological Systems. Universitext. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-96394-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-96394-0_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-08122-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-96394-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive