Biological networks, as physical systems, comprise interconnected biomolecular or cellular components whose interactions give rise to emergent functional organization in living organisms. They include gene regulatory, protein–protein interaction, metabolic, neuronal, and signaling networks, each instantiated by tangible entities such as DNA, proteins, metabolites, or cells and their spatially constrained contacts. These systems exhibit nontrivial topology (e.g., modularity, hubs, motifs) and dynamic behavior governed by biochemical reaction kinetics, diffusion, and mechanical coupling. Biological networks underpin robustness, adaptability, and information processing in cells and tissues, and are quantitatively studied using tools from statistical physics, nonlinear dynamics, and network theory.
A leaf may appear to be one of the simplest structures in nature, thin, delicate and easily overlooked. At first glance, it seems far removed from the complex systems that scientists usually describe as networks. Yet, as ...
A Moffitt Cancer Center researcher has introduced a new model that addresses one of biology's most fundamental questions: How does genetic information keep living systems organized and therefore alive?
Cell & Microbiology
May 1, 2026
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28
How do our genes determine our appearance and our susceptibility to disease? This question is central to biomedical research, and today we can sequence thousands of human genomes to identify these genes. However, genes work ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 30, 2026
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48
Cells constantly probe their environments, searching for physical cues that guide their behavior. And yet a cell's response to its environment is always biochemical, mediated by the chemistry of its internal protein machinery. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 22, 2026
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49
Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model that can more accurately predict how proteins interact with one another—an advancement that could accelerate drug discovery and deepen insights into diseases ...
Biotechnology
Apr 20, 2026
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33
Engineers interested in creating artificial cells to deliver drugs to unhealthy parts of the body face a key challenge: for a cell-like system to move, change shape, or divide, it needs a way to generate force on command.
Biotechnology
Apr 19, 2026
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30
At first glance, the world of ants may seem far removed from our everyday lives. Yet, on closer inspection, they often face surprisingly similar challenges. They live in complex societies where the functioning of a colony ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 14, 2026
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13
Psst, have you heard that mushrooms can "gossip" and spread information to their neighbors? Underneath the umbrella-like shapes we see on the forest floor is a hidden underground network that allows mushrooms to communicate. ...
Ecology
Apr 1, 2026
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190
Animal studies often fail to predict human tissue responses to new drugs or newly developed therapies. Besides generating tremendous costs for clinical studies, it also raises significant ethical concerns. Therefore, novel ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 19, 2026
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18
A multinational research team led by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo, RIKEN, and the University of Toronto has revealed how a tryptophan-rich allosteric communication network regulates receptor dynamics and activation ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Mar 19, 2026
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