BOL

Living cells are a special form of condensed matter, matter that has been optimized by evolution to perform functions. Are there laws of nature that govern living matter, that stem from the 'need' to function? Are there common design-principles shared by living systems and human-made objects that perform functions, such as machines, circuitry and software? This course discusses theoretical concepts and analysis of biological networks. We discuss gene- and protein-circuits as computational devices, and approaches for analysis of large networks. The theoretical discussion is accompanied by examples of well-studied model systems. Prof. Uri Alon, Weizmann Institute of Science (length 1.5 hours)