Biophysics is ... Biological Sciences. Molecular Biophysics

One of the most ancient sciences is, of course, biology. People's interest in the processes taking place inside themselves and surrounding beings, arose several thousand years before our era.

Observations of animals, plants, natural processes were an important part of people's lives. With the passage of time knowledge has accumulated a lot, improved and developed methods of studying living nature and the mechanisms that occur in it. This led to the emergence of many sections that make up a complex science in all.

Biological research in different areas of life allows us to obtain new valuable data, important for understanding the biomass of the planet. Use this knowledge for practical purposes (space exploration, medicine, agriculture, chemical industry and so on).

Modern Biology

Today, the achievements of this multifaceted science make it possible to achieve many positive results. Thus, modern science offers a number of solutions to the problems of human diseases from the effects of viruses and bacteria. It became possible to stay in outer space without damage to health for about 3 months, while using as a source of oxygen microorganisms or unicellular plants.

Many discoveries made it possible to do biological research in the sphere of internal structure and functioning of all living systems. The molecular composition of organisms, their microstructure, studied and studied many genes from the human and animal genomes, plants. The merits of biotechnology, cellular and genetic engineering allow obtaining several plant yields per season, as well as breeding breeds of animals that give more meat, milk and eggs.

The study of microorganisms made it possible to obtain antibiotics and create dozens and hundreds of vaccines that allow the conquest of many diseases, even those that previously thousands of lives of people and animals were carried away by whole epidemics.

Therefore, the modern science of biology is the limitless possibilities of mankind in many branches of science, industry and health preservation.

Classification of biological sciences

Part of the very first appeared private sections of the science of biology. Such as botany, zoology, anatomy and systematics. Later began to form more dependent on technical equipment discipline - microbiology, virology, physiology and so on.

There are a number of young and progressive sciences that were formed only in the XX-XXI century and play an important role in the modern development of biology.

There is not one, but several classifications, by which biological sciences can be ranked. The list of them is quite impressive in all cases, consider one of them.

Thus, we have tried to cover the main diversity that biological sciences represent. This list with the development of techniques and methods of study is expanding, replenished. Therefore, a single classification of biology does not exist today.

Progressive biosciences and their meaning

The youngest, modern and progressive sciences of biology are such as:

• biotechnology;
• molecular biology;
• Space biology;
• biophysics;
• biochemistry.

Each of these sciences was formed not earlier than the twentieth century, and therefore it is rightly considered to be a young, intensively developing and most significant for the practical activity of man.

Let us dwell on one of them, like biophysics. It is a science that appeared around 1945 and became an important part of the entire biological system.

What is biophysics?

To answer this question, one should first of all point to her close contact with chemistry and biology. In some issues, the boundaries between these sciences are so close that it is difficult to understand which of them is specifically involved and in priority. Therefore, to consider biophysics is a complex science that studies the deep physical and chemical processes occurring in living systems at the level of both molecules, cells, organs, and at the level of the Biosphere as a whole.

Like any other, biophysics is a science that has its own object of study, goals and objectives, as well as worthy and meaningful results. In addition, this discipline is closely correlated with several new directions.

Objects of research

They for biophysics are biosystems at different organizational levels.

1. Microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, unicellular fungi and algae).
2. The simplest animals.
3. Individual cells and their structural parts (organelles).
4. Plants.
5. Animals (including humans).
6. Ecological communities.

That is, biophysics is a study of the living from the point of view of the physical processes occurring in it.

The tasks of science

Initially, the tasks of biophysicists were to prove the existence of physical processes and phenomena in the vital activity of living beings and to study them, finding out the nature and significance.

Modern problems of this science can be formulated as follows:

1. To study the structure of genes and mechanisms accompanying their transmission and storage, mutations (mutations).
2. Consider many aspects of cellular biology (cell interaction with each other, chromosomal and genetic interactions and other processes).
3. To study, in complex with molecular biology, molecules of polymers (proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides).
4. Identify the influence of cosmogeophysical factors on the course of all physical and chemical processes in living organisms.
5. More deeply reveal the mechanisms of photobiology (photosynthesis, photoperiodism, and so on).
6. To introduce and develop methods of mathematical modeling.
7. Apply the results of nanotechnology to study living systems.

From this list it is obvious that biophysics studies a lot of significant and serious problems of modern society, and the results of this science are of great importance for a person and his life.

History of formation

As a science, biophysics was born relatively recently - in 1945, when Erwin Schrodinger published his work "What is life from the point of view of physics." It was he who first noticed and indicated that many laws of physics (thermodynamic, laws of quantum mechanics) take place precisely in the vital activity and work of the organisms of living beings.

Thanks to the works of this man, the science of biophysics began its intensive development. However, even earlier, in 1922, Russia created the Institute of Biophysics, which is headed by PP Lazarev. There, the main role is assigned to the study of the nature of excitation in tissues and organs. The result was the identification of the importance of ions in this process.

Further, a number of discoveries by different scientists make it possible to understand that biophysics is a complete, capacious and complex science, necessary for understanding all processes occurring in living systems.

1. Galvani opens electricity and its importance for living tissues (bioelectricity).
2. AL Chizhevsky is the father of several disciplines studying the influence of space on the Biosphere, as well as ionization radiation and electro-hemodynamics.
3. The detailed structure of protein molecules was studied only after the discovery of the X-ray diffraction method. This was done by scientists Peruz and Kendryu (1962).
4. In the same year, a three-dimensional DNA structure was discovered (Maurice Wilkins).
5. Neer and Zakman in 1991 were able to develop a method of local fixation of the electrical potential.

Also a number of other discoveries allowed the science of biophysics to embark on the path of intensive and progressive modernization in development and formation.

Sections of Biophysics

There are a number of disciplines that make up this science. Let's consider the most basic of them.

1. Biophysics of complex systems - considers all complex mechanisms of self-regulation of multicellular organisms (systemogenesis, morphogenesis, synergogenesis). Also, this discipline studies the features of the physical component of the processes of ontogeny and evolutionary development, the levels of organization of organisms.
2. Bioacoustics and biophysics of sensory systems - studies sensory systems of living organisms (sight, hearing, reception, speech and others), ways of broadcasting various signals. Identifies the mechanisms of energy conversion when perceiving external influences (stimuli) by organisms.
3. Theoretical biophysics - includes a number of sub-sciences involved in the study of the thermodynamics of biological processes, the construction of mathematical models of structural parts of organisms. Also considers kinetic processes.
4. Molecular biophysics - considers the deep mechanisms of the structural organization and functioning of such biopolymers as DNA, RNA, proteins, polysaccharides. He is engaged in the construction of models and graphic images of these molecules, predicts behavior and their formation in living systems. Also, this discipline builds supramolecular and submolecular systems to determine the mechanism for constructing and operating biopolymers in living systems.
5. Cell Biophysics. He studies the most important cellular processes: differentiation, division, excitation and biopotentials of the membrane structure. Particular attention is paid to the mechanisms of membrane transport of substances, the potential difference, the properties and structure of the membrane and its surrounding parts.
6. Biophysics of Metabolism. The main processes under consideration are photosynthesis, solarization and adaptation of organisms to it, hemodynamics, heat regulation, metabolism, ionizing radiation effect.
7. Applied biophysics. It consists of several disciplines: bioinformatics, biometrics, biomechanics, the study of evolutionary processes and ontogeny, pathological (medical) biophysics. The objects of studying applied biophysics are the musculoskeletal system, methods of movement, ways of recognizing people by physical features. Medical biophysics deserve special attention. It examines pathological processes in organisms, ways of reconstructing damaged sections of molecules or structures, or their compensation. Gives material for biotechnology. It is of great importance in preventing the development of diseases, especially genetic ones, their elimination and explanation of the mechanisms of the effect.
8. Biophysics of habitat - studies the physical impact of both local habitats of beings, and the influence of near and far subjects of outer space. Also considers biorhythms, the influence of weather conditions and biofields on creatures. Develops methods of measures to prevent negative impacts of environmental conditions.

All these disciplines make an enormous contribution to the development of an understanding of the mechanisms of life of living systems, the influence of the biosphere and various conditions on them.

Modern achievements

We can name a few of the most significant events that relate to the achievements of biophysics:

• Mechanisms for cloning organisms have been discovered;
• The features of the transformations and the role of nitric oxide in living systems have been studied;
• The interrelation of small and matrix RNA is established, which in the future will allow to find the solution of many medical problems (elimination of diseases);
• The physical nature of autowaves is discovered;
• Thanks to the work of molecular biophysicists, aspects of DNA synthesis and replication were studied, which entailed the possibility of creating a whole range of new drugs for serious and complex diseases;
• Computer models of all reactions accompanying the process of photosynthesis have been created;
• Methods of ultrasound examination of the organism have been developed;
• A connection has been established between cosmogeophysical and biochemical processes;
• Predicted climate change on the planet;
• Discovery of the significance of the enzyme urokenase in preventing thrombotic diseases and eliminating consequences after strokes;
• A number of discoveries have also been made on the structure of the protein, the circulatory system, and other parts of the body.

Institute of Biophysics in Russia

In our country there is a Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov. On the basis of this educational institution operates the Faculty of Biophysics. It is he who prepares qualified specialists to work in this field.

It is very important to give a high-quality start to future professionals. They are waiting for a difficult job. The biophysicist is obliged to understand all the subtleties of the processes occurring in living beings. In addition, students must understand and in physics. After all, it is a complex science - biophysics. Lectures are designed in such a way as to embrace all the disciplines connected and making up biophysics, and to cover the consideration of questions both biological and physical.