Scaling Laws In Biology And Other Complex Systems

Google Tech talks
August 1, 2007

ABSTRACT

Life is very likely the most complex phenomenon in the Universe manifesting an extraordinary diversity of form and function over an enormous range. Yet, many of its most fundamental and complex attributes scale with size in a surprisingly simple fashion. For example, metabolic rate (the power required to sustain the system) scales as approximately the 3/4-power of mass over 27 orders of magnitude from molecular levels up to the largest multicellular organisms. Similarly, time-scales, such as lifespans and growth-rates, increase with exponents which are typically simple powers of 1/4. It will be shown how these universal quarter-power scaling laws follow...

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[cbilson72]

Does anyone know where I could get the slides for this? They are pretty...impossible to read in the video, though I really appreciate the technology avoidance principal held by Professor West.

[DreamingWorlds]

".....whole point of blood of course is to have oxygen dissolved in it and deliver it to your cells...."

"... as you breath and push blood around you ..."

"The fundamental cause of ALL DEGENERATIVE DISEASE is oxygen starvation at the cellular level. Cancer and other degenerative diseases cannot survive in an oxygen rich environment." - Dr. Otto Warburg - The only two-time Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine. 1931, 1944

[Skipberkes]

As a prospective student of Systems Biology (at UCLA) I look forward to Google's commitment in particular.

[djw101]

I am very curious about this field. What's the day to day work like? Does it involve computer programming/ simulation/ mathematical modelling/ practical experiments?

[metab25]

I think this is a brilliant effort my GoogleTechTalk people .. myself being from the field of Systems Biology, I can totally appreciate this! Thank you!