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Microcomputer Modeling of Biological Systems
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12540 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
7 / 1987 |
3,834 Words |
| Author
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Narendra S. Goel and Richard L. Thompson
Narendra S. Goel is professor of systems science at the
State University of New York in Binghamton. Richard L.
Thompson is a staff scientist at the La Jolla Institute. |
Americans read the headlines of Dennis Conner's triumph in the America's Cup tournament in distant Australia with great pride. But the news analysts asked: Was it the sailing crew and its will, or the boatbuilders and the American technology that provided the winning edge?
In Australia, the prime minister consoled his losing team with the thought that they "were against a better boat."
Evidence suggests that the winning advantage for the Stars and Stripes was provided by its computer-modeled design. Computer modeling allowed the yacht's designers to test different shapes and configurations more easily and rapidly than conventional testing would have, without the need for detailed scaled-down models of the boat or the need for putting these models in tow tanks.
Computer modeling and simulation provide the methodology for the design, development, analysis, and evaluation of an experiment. Modeling can be defined as the construction of a prototype that approximately describes the behavior of a system by closely mimicking and foretelling its relevant features. As modeling methods improve, simulated experiments are becoming so accurate that they may be less expensive and easier to perform than some actual experiments. The performance of a model is measured by the accuracy with which it can predict the system's characteristics, based on a proper design of the system, the components, their surroundings, and their interrelationships.
From boats to viruses, the modeling techniques could perhaps be similar, but in fact, the simplest protein molecule is more complex than the 12-meter yacht Stars and Stripes. Are there than intrinsic limits to what can be modeled, or is it just a matter of time until all life forms will be modeled? The new models of viruses are providing possible insights into these questions. To understand these models, some background on the similarities and differences of physical biological systems is helpful.
Biological System versus Physical Systems
The present high level of understanding of physical and chemical systems is not limited to describing the motion of bodies like the Stars and Stripes. Sophisticated computer models have been developed to routinely create medical diagnostic images, to forecast weather patterns, and to design computer memory chips and polymeric fabrics with specific
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