I never expected the book to be more about biology. I was
actually getting prepped up for something philosophical and dramatic. Good
thing it was mostly about biology though, because I can relate to a lot of
concepts in this field.
The
author talked about how math can be related to biology. At first, they seem
like two unrelated topics. Well, during these times the two seem to be
inseparable. I did choose the course because I wanted to avoid math, but of
course it never worked. According to the author, life is too flexible for a
rigid mathematical formula. But then, well, at least according to myself, not
all of the formulas in math are rigid.
He mentioned
5 revolutions in biology: microscope, classification, evolution, genetics and
the structure of DNA. I completely agree wih him on this, because these 5 are
the primary pillars of biology. The microscope helped us see the tiny lives
invisible to the unaided eye. Classification helped arrange all living
organisms according to similarities both physical and chemical. Evolution helps
us understand more about the similarities and gives reason as to why and how
the organisms are classified. Genetics is the reason for evolution, and it is
the fuel of my passion for biology. The structure of DNA is the reason of
genetics and is basically like the blueprint that codes for an organism. As I
write this book review, I now see how these 5 revolutions are connected to each
other. The author must have thought of this well. He also claimed that the 6th
revolution of biology is math, which I was totally unprepared for. However, as
I read the book, he was able to prove his point.
The
first revolution was the lens, and it was cool how ancient people like Nero
experimented with old versions of reading glasses. There are two kinds of lens:
the telescope, which helps see far objects seem near; and the microscope, which
magnifies small objects. In biology, we rarely use the telescope. The cell,
which is the basic unit of life, was discovered using a telescope. This is why
the invention of lenses is the starting point of biology. The author took the
effort to go through the history of the lens, and that is what I like about
this part. It also helped me review what I’ve learned so far.
Classification was started by Carolus Linnaeus, and he is
the father of taxonomy. Having to arrange the living organisms into specific
groups was not easy, but he managed to do so in the simplest way. Now, we have
a more organized system: Starting from the 3 domains which are based on the
presence of a nucleus down to very specific species names based on distinct
chemical and physical characteristics.
An interesting thing in classification is the natural patterns
that occur in flowers and some animals. An example of this is the way the
flowers are placed on top of the head of a sunflower. The author mentioned that
the plant kingdom loved the Fibonacci sequence, and evidence of this is the
arrangement of leaves as it grows, which is called the phyllotaxis. It’s
interesting how plants seem to follow a specific set of patterns when
developing, and this is one reason why math is deeply involved with biology. I
learned that the Nautilus, which is a cephalopod, does not follow the golden
ratio like the primordial does, and it bummed me since that is what I have
believed for a long time now.
I liked how the author discussed about evolution, because it
was easy to follow and understand. Apparently the grandfather of Charles Darwin
helped establishing the theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics,
which was finalized by Jean Lamarck. This concept is wrong though, because
bruises cannot be inherited. Darwin was able to see the difference and similarities
in the Galapagos Finches, thus was able to make the concept of evolution. It
basically is survival of the fittest, and trying to win the battle against
natural selection. What I didn’t like about this part was how he seemed to be
against Creationism… he could at least be a bit open minded.
The next revolution is my favorite, because I really, really
love genetics. Gregor Mendel started this through peas. I can definitely
imagine Augustinian priests having to eat peas all day. The author was able to
discuss this part beautifully, at least according to me. I love how math rules
this concept, because genetics is all about probabilities. Chi square even made
its way to squeeze in. There are uncountable recombination patterns of genes,
and this is what makes each of us unique. Basically, we inherited a jumbled mix
of genes our parents inherited from our grandparents.
The last revolution was about how DNA was discovered, turns
out it was not Watson and Crick right away, which I have always believed. The
discovery of DNA started when some scientist studied on pus and found what we
now call DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. This is the code of life, where a codon
codes for one amino acid which is used to make proteins. The math involved is
the number of nucleotide base pairs in each organism, for each have a different
number which makes us all unique.
The author mentioned other aspects of biology that were
quite interesting for me, like how DNA makes various knots and folds as it
assemble itself in cramped space. There was extreme math in this part, which is
why I was not so drawn to it. There was also the topic about the
colored-throated lizard and how it mates. The yellow-throated one just sneaks
on the female while the blue and orange-throated ones fight for her. According
to the author, it was like a rock-paper-scissor game. The topic about gaits
intrigued me as well. It was funny how the author was able to find his
conclusion of animal locomotion when they attended the rodeo.
My most favorite part was about Physarum polycephalum and how it was used to make connections
between cities in Japan. I mean, as I was reading the whole thing, this weird
smile would not come off my face. They actually used a slime mould to help them
create the best route. The cities were represented using food, because them mould
could not resist food. Terrain, like mountains in Japan, was represented using
light, because the mould hates light. They were successful though, and I swear
it was the most fun part of the entire book. It was great though, because not
many people can think of that.
Math cannot be separated from life, and it is why I feel
slightly depressed. Anyway, I side with Ian Stewart in his claim that math is
the 6th revolution of biology, but somehow, I think math was always
there, even from the start. Biology cannot exist without math, and even plants
and animals unconsciously follow some certain patterns in math. The author also
mentioned of what life really is and if it existed elsewhere other than earth,
and he really did a good job in it. He described life the way a biologist
would, and he was good in explaining the different habitats of planets and if
life could possibly thrive on them.
To conclude, I will finally give up on trying running away
from math. It’s inevitable. The author did a great job in hooking me unto his
book (although it’s quite biased because I’m a biology student). I loved how he
highlighted the 5 main revolutions in biology, and I especially love him for mentioning
that slime-mould-for-railways method of Japan.
Math is important in life, and I doubt one can live without
it.
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