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Biology, Networks, EmergenceDr Murad Banaji
Abstract: Biology throws up new and exciting mathematical problems. It forces us to think differently, because even simple biological systems are generally too complex to model accurately. But if we build simplified models we are left wondering: do these still capture the important behaviours of the original biological system? I'm interested in what we can say about biological systems from their network structure alone. We can think of an ecosystem with predation, competition, cooperation, etc., but no knowledge of the probabilities of each interaction. Or a system of chemical reactions where we know what reacts with what, but not the reaction rates. Can we prove theorems about the behaviours of such systems based only on their network structure? The answer is often - surprisingly - yes. An array of different areas of mathematics - algebra, geometry, combinatorics and analysis - all come into play. I'll present some examples, results and open questions in this rapidly evolving area.
Time: Thu, 2nd May 6:00pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, Mathematical Institute
Access: Open and free to ALL
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Mathematical Institute, OX1 3LB Oxford, United Kingdom, 2 Worcester Street, Oxford, OX1 2BX, United Kingdom,Oxford, Oxfordshire