Chance in Biology – Using Probability to Explore Nature - Hardcover

Denny, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691005214 ISBN 13: 9780691005218

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Life is a chancy proposition: from the movement of molecules to the age at which we die, chance plays a key role in the natural world. Traditionally, biologists have viewed the inevitable "noise" of life as an unfortunate complication. The authors of this book, however, treat random processes as a benefit. In this introduction to chance in biology, Mark Denny and Steven Gaines help readers apply the probability theory needed to make sense of chance events - using examples from ocean waves to spiderwebs, in fields ranging from melecular mechanics to evolution. By relating the theory of probability to the understanding of form and function in living things, the authors seek to pique the reader's curiousity about statistics and provide a new perspective on the role of chance in biology.

About this title

About the Author

Mark Denny is the current DeNault Professor of Marine Sciences at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, California. His books include Air and Water: The Biology and Physics of Life's Media and Biology and the Mechanics of the Wave-Swept Environment (both Princeton). Steven Gaines is Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

From the Back Cover

"This is a thoroughly delightful and scholarly tour through the theory and application of probability and statistics in biology. The reader will learn much about the fundamentals of stochastic processes, as well as much about the biology itself. The best of mathematical biology."--Simon Levin, Princeton University

"Chaos need not imply anarchy--it's a law abiding state permitting proper predictions. But how to deal with it? Finally we have a guidebook to the rules of the random road, thanks to Denny and Gaines. Better still, it has biological breadth, with processes from cellular to oceanic scales coming in for analysis and providing material for examples. Even better, it's engagingly written, with grace, clarity, and wit."--Steve Vogel, Duke University

"This is a lively undergraduate text that explores the meaning of chance, develops the rules of probability, and explains how random processes affect biological materials and living things. Examples range from the survival of plankton to the size of waves, from the impact of thermal agitation on auditory perception to the likelihood of deafening sounds. Reasonable mathematical expectations, interesting problems, thoughtful solutions. Overall, a stimulating and enlightening work."--Howard C. Berg, author ofRandom Walks in Biology

From the Inside Flap

"This is a thoroughly delightful and scholarly tour through the theory and application of probability and statistics in biology. The reader will learn much about the fundamentals of stochastic processes, as well as much about the biology itself. The best of mathematical biology."--Simon Levin, Princeton University

"Chaos need not imply anarchy--it's a law abiding state permitting proper predictions. But how to deal with it? Finally we have a guidebook to the rules of the random road, thanks to Denny and Gaines. Better still, it has biological breadth, with processes from cellular to oceanic scales coming in for analysis and providing material for examples. Even better, it's engagingly written, with grace, clarity, and wit."--Steve Vogel, Duke University

"This is a lively undergraduate text that explores the meaning of chance, develops the rules of probability, and explains how random processes affect biological materials and living things. Examples range from the survival of plankton to the size of waves, from the impact of thermal agitation on auditory perception to the likelihood of deafening sounds. Reasonable mathematical expectations, interesting problems, thoughtful solutions. Overall, a stimulating and enlightening work."--Howard C. Berg, author of Random Walks in Biology

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691005214
• ISBN 13: 9780691005218
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 306