TY  - JOUR
PB  - SciPost Foundation
DO  - 10.21468/SciPostPhysLectNotes.84
TI  - Ambitions for theory in the physics of life
PY  - 2024/08/15
UR  - https://scipost.org/SciPostPhysLectNotes.84
JF  - SciPost Physics Lecture Notes
JA  - SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes
SP  - 84
A1  - Bialek, William
AB  - Theoretical physicists have been fascinated by the phenomena of life for more than a century. As we engage with more realistic descriptions of living systems, however, things get complicated. After reviewing different reactions to this complexity, I explore the optimization of information flow as a potentially general theoretical principle. The primary example is a genetic network guiding development of the fly embryo, but each idea also is illustrated by examples from neural systems. In each case, optimization makes detailed, largely parameter-free predictions that connect quantitatively with experiment.
ER  -

@Article{10.21468/SciPostPhysLectNotes.84,
	title={{Ambitions for theory in the physics of life}},
	author={William Bialek},
	journal={SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes},
	pages={84},
	year={2024},
	publisher={SciPost},
	doi={10.21468/SciPostPhysLectNotes.84},
	url={https://scipost.org/10.21468/SciPostPhysLectNotes.84},
}