Universal Scaling Laws in Biology: Origins, Applications, Ramifications, and Extensions

在这个项目中，PI将进一步发展和应用他过去开发的比例理论的想法，以了解细胞内能量和资源的分级结构和运输，调查生态系统内树木和植物的能量和大小分布的类似含义，得出睡眠和衰老、肿瘤生长和结构以及大脑功能的基本量化理论。例如，我们能理解生物体为什么衰老，是什么设定了寿命的标尺，特别是人类100岁的分子标尺来自哪里？此外，将扩展这一范式，以解决城市等社会组织复杂网络结构中的类似问题，并了解创新和规模经济在其增长轨迹中的作用。从技术上讲，大多数拟议的工作将是分析性的，利用许多标准的、强大的理论物理技术，包括场论、重整化群和热力学概念的语言；必要时，将使用计算机模拟。此外，这项工作通常将与生物学家、生态学家、生物化学家、经济学家和其他物理学家密切合作进行，包括博士后研究员和学生。到目前为止开发的范例和原理表明，在生物学的广泛范围内，许多重要和基本的问题都可以用新的方法来解决，在这些领域中，物理学中熟悉的量化分析思维可以发挥核心作用。该计划旨在建立一个严谨的、定量的、数学的、可预测的、粗粒度的生物现象理论，并将其扩展到社会组织。主要的重点一直是能源和物质资源的使用，但从长远来看，目的是将能源运输网络与携带信息的网络整合起来，无论是遗传信息还是神经信息，以形成一个统一的理论。这项工作有可能对生物医学中的许多高度实际的问题(如心血管异常、衰老、毒理学和药理学、睡眠和癌症的非侵入性研究)产生重大影响，并为解决许多社会重大问题(包括环境和能源的可持续性，以及我们城市的命运)提供一个概念性框架。结果将在知名科学期刊以及更容易获得的媒体上传播，包括我们的暑期学校、学生和高中项目、SFI商业网络以及在其他机构的演讲。

In this project the PI will further develop and apply ideas from scaling theory that he developed in the past to understand the hierarchical structure and transportation of energy and resources within cells, to investigate similar implications for energy and size distribution of trees and plants within ecosystems, to derive fundamental quantitative theories of sleep and aging, tumor growth and structure, and brain functionality. For example, can it be understood why organisms age and what sets the scale for life-span and, in particular, where in molecular scales 100 years come from for humans? In addition, the paradigm will be extended to address analogous questions in complex network structures of social organizations, such as cities, and to understand the role of innovation and economies of scale in their growth trajectories. Technically, most of the proposed work will be analytic in nature utilizing many of the standard, powerful techniques of theoretical physics, including the language of field theory, the renormalization group, and thermodynamic concepts; when necessary, computer simulations will be employed. In addition, the work will generally be carried out in close, collaboration with biologists, ecologists, biochemists, economists, and other physicists, including post-doctoral fellows and students. The paradigm and principles thus far developed suggest novel ways of attacking many important and fundamental problems across the broad spectrum of biology where quantitative analytic thinking familiar in physics can play a central role. This program aims at establishing a rigorous, quantitative, mathematical, predictive, coarse-grained theory of biological phenomena and to extend it to social organizations. The primary focus has been on energy and material resource use but longer-term the intent is to integrate the energy transport networks with those carrying information, whether genetic or neural, to formulate a unified theory. This work has the potential for having major impact on many highly practical problems in biomedicine (such as the non-invasive study of cardiovascular abnormalities, aging, toxicology and pharmacology, sleep and cancer) as well as providing a conceptual framework for addressing many of societys major problems (including the environment and energy sustainability, and the fate of our cities. The results will be circulated in high-profile scientific journals as well as in more accessible media, including our summer schools, student and high school programs, the SFI business network and by lecturing in other institutions.