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Introduction to Biophysics

Code: 100165
Credits: 5
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Physics OP 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Daniel Campos Moreno
Email :
daniel.campos@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Juan Camacho Castro

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

It is advisable to have some general knowledge aon chemistry and biology, at a high school level.

The fields of physics most employed during the course will be Thermodynamics, Elasticity, Statistical Mechanics Electricity and Magnetism. So that, it is advisable to have followed courses on these topics in the previous years of the degree. In particular, students should have followed courses on theor second year the courses on 'Electromagnetism' and 'Matter Structure and Thermodynamics'. Regarding Statistical Mechanics, the present course can be done in parallel to Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics" (TerMec), as the applied perspective here complements the theoretical formalism which is developed in TerMec.

Objectives

This course tries to provide a panoramic, but not exhaustive, introduction to biophysics. The main goal is that physics students have a first touch of physical analysis of problems that lie at the fontier with biology (and, often, with biochemistry), and become aware of the richness of problems in biology for which the tools and methods from physics are extremely worthy. Likewise, the course introduces several ideas at a basic level that can help the students to face in the future more advances courses related to biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics or complex systems.

Learning outcomes

  1. Communicate complex information in an effective, clear and concise manner, either orally, in writing or through ICTs, in front of both specialist and general publics.
  2. Use critical reasoning, show analytical skills, correctly use technical language and develop logical arguments
  3. Establish the basic physical aspects of proteins and nucleic acids.
  4. Describe the basic steps in protein synthesis and the genetic code.
  5. Establish the basic concepts of physics membranes and active and passive transport, and apply these to the action potential in the nervous system.
  6. Describe the basic ideas of learning in neural networks and the principal morphological and functional characteristics of the brain.
  7. Describe the principal basic techniques of medical physics.
  8. Distinguish the fields of application for different types of microscope (optical, electronic, tunneling or atomic force).
  9. Describe the fundamentals of certain medical imaging techniques (MRI, PET, CT).
  10. Describe the bases to synchrotron radiation and its application to protein structure.
  11. Correctly apply the equations of passive and active transport to the propagation of nerve signals in excitable membranes.
  12. Calculate Nernst's potential in physical and biological systems.
  13. Work on problems of the dosimetry of ionizing radiation and its biological effects for subsequent training in medical physics.
  14. Describe the principal unresolved problems in biophysics (protein folding, physical sequencing of DNA, the physical bases of genetic and epigenetic code, molecular motors, neural networks).
  15. Develop an understanding of the bases to biomedical observation techniques (electrocardiography, electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography).
  16. Apply the power-cord model to the description of the shape and speed of action potential in excitable membranes.
  17. Model various biological processes (growth of tumors, cardiac excitation waves, learning in neural networks, immune system).
  18. Work independently, take initiative itself, be able to organize to achieve results and to plan and execute a project.
  19. Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
  20. Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of academic and professional activities within one's own area of knowledge.
  21. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.

Contents

Program


LESSON 1: "The origin of life is strongly conditioned by the fundamental interactions of physics and the effect of thermal noise"

LESSON 2: "The starting path of life arose on the basis of the material and energy resources available on the primordial Earth"

LESSON 3: "The evolutionary path of life has been reconstructed since the end of the nineteenth century based on advances in physics and chemistry"

LESSON 4: "The paradigm, function and structure of biochemistry is determined by the electromechanical properties of biomolecules"

LESSON 5: "Information is the magnitude we need to understand living systems from a physical perspective"

LESSON 6: "Life vs. the Second Law of Thermodynamics (I): Homeostasis"

LESSON 7: "Life vs. the Second Law of Thermodynamics (II): The Structure of Macromolecules"

LESSON 8: "Life vs. the Second Law of Thermodynamics (III): The Formation of Cells"

LESSON 9: "Life vs. the Second Law of Thermodynamics (IV): Cellular Functions"

LESSON 10: "Biology, like physics, relies on minimal models to understand the basis of complex phenomena"

LESSON 11: "Allometric laws represent a tool for the physical interpretation of biological processes"

LESSON 12: "The laws of physics as constraints of the evolutionary process (I): metabolic systems"

LESSON 13: "The laws of physics as constraints of the evolutionary process (II): cognitive systems"

LESSON 14: "The laws of physics as constraints of the evolutionary process (III): locomotor systems"

LESSON 15: "The Laws of Physics as constraints of the Evolutionary Process (IV): Biological Interactions"


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Theoretical classes 27 1.08 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15
Study 53 2.12 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15
Practical classes 14 0.56 11, 12, 16, 17
Mentoring sessions 5 0.2 17
Project and autonomous exercises 18 0.72 12, 13, 14, 16, 17

We start the course by reviewing the essential properties of macromolecules, centering our attention on proteins and DNA (their elements, structure, and mechanical and electrical properties). Then we study some physical aspects of macromolecules, focused on molecular pumps and engines. At the cell level, we introduce basic ideas about metabolism, and the main structural and transport properties of the cell membrane, with a special emphasis given to the behavior of the neuronal system (individual neurons, networks, and the brain).


Finally we introduce several basic ideas about population dynamics and evolution, and the role that physics play in the latter (in particular how evolution have found solutions to overcome the physical difficulties to the movement or to the energy income of living organisms).


The theoretical part of the course will be partially based on a flipped-classroom methodology. Every week the students will be given access to previous materials (readings in pdf or presentations in video format) as an introduction to the topic that will be discussed and presented in the class. In order to make a follow-up of this activity, some quizes will be made available on Moodle. Also, these materials and readings will be used as the starting point to choose the topic of the main assigment of the course, which will have a double format (first a written report, and then an oral presentation in video format)


At the end of each theme some optional exercises will be proposed for the students to check if they have satisfactorily understood the essential concepts presented.


Practical lessons will be used to discuss in group and solve the exercises from the main list of the course.


We will employ 15 minutes from the last session of the course to let the students answer the instituional survey about the course.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Partial exam 2 40/100 2 0.08 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
1st part of the project: Written report 10/100 1 0.04 1, 2, 14, 18
Partial exam 1 35/100 2 0.08 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
2nd part of the project: Infography and presentation 10/100 2 0.08 1, 2, 18, 20, 21
Quizes about previous readings 5/100 1 0.04 1, 2, 18, 19, 20, 21

1st partial exam: It will represent a weight of 35% over the final grade.

2nd partial exam: It will represent a weight of 40% over the final grade.

Quizes: All previous materials and readings will have a quiz associated that the students have to complete before the classroom session. These quizes will represent a weight of 5% over the final grade.

Assignments: Using the previous materials and reading as a starting point, the student will choose a topic related to the course and will firstt prepare a written report (that will represent a 10% of the final grade). Once this report has been corrected, they will prepare from it an infography and an oral presentation. This presentation will represent a 10% of the final grade and will be used to evaluate the learning outcomes related to synthesis and comunicative skills of the students (they will have available equipments and techincal assistance for recording their presentations).


For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed only in the evaluation activity of the "Assignments", and exclusively for bibliographic or information search and/or correction of texts. The student will have to clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how they have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The non-transparency of the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity.


To pass the course it is necessary to have a global grade of 5 (over 10) and having obtained a minimum grade of 3,5 in each of the two partial exams.

Those students that have taken the partial exams but have not obtained a minimum grade of 3,5 (or those who have not obtained an average grade of 5) have the option of a retake exam.

The quizes and assigments of the course will not have a retake option.


ONE-ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION:

Thjose students that decide to choose a one-assignment evaluation will take a final exam covering all the contents corresponding to the first and the second partial exams (this will represent a 80% of the final grade), and will present both assignment 1 and 2 together (this will represent the other 20% of the final grade). Since they are specifically dessigned for an on-going evaluation, the quizes will not be considered as an evaluation activity in this case.

Topass the course it will be necessary to obtain a minimum grade of 3,5 in the final exam, and an average global grade of 5 or higher. If this is not the case, the student still have the option of a retake exam (the assignments will not have a retake option).


Bibliography

   Main references

P. Nelson, Física biológica, Ed. Reverté, Barcelona, 2005 (disponible online a través de la biblioteca UAB)

F. Cleri. The physics of Living Systems. Springer-Verlag, 2016 (disponible online a través de la biblioteca UAB)

R. Phillips, J. Kondev, J. Theriot, H. G. García, Physical biology of the cell, (Garland Science, 2013)

J. Kuriyan, B. Konforti and D. Wemmer. The molecules of life (Garland Science, 2013)

Basic introdutions to physics for biologists

F. Cussó, C. López and R. Villar, Física de los procesos biológicos, Ariel, Barcelona,

 2004

D. Jou, J. E. Llebot i C. Pérez-García, Física para las ciencias de la vida, Mc Graw

Hill, Madrid, 1994     

T.M. Nordlund. Quantitative understanding of biosystems. (CRC Press, 2011)

M. Ortuño, Física para biología, medicina, veterinaria y farmacia, Crítica, Barcelona,

 1996

J. W. Kane i M. M. Sternheim, Física para las ciencias de la vida, Reverté, Barcelona,

 1987

B. B. Benedek and F.M.H. Villars, Physics, with illustrative examples from biology (3

 vols), Addison-Wesley, 1979

 

Advanced and complementary references on biophysics

T. F. Weiss, Cellular biophysics (2 vols), Bradford Books, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1996

R.K. Hobbie, Intermediate physics for medicine and biology. Wiley, 1978

W. Bialek. Biophysics: Searching for principles. Princeton Univ. Press, 2012

C. Blomberg. Physics of life. Elsevier, 2007

R. Cotterill. Biophysics. An introduction. John Wiley & Sons, 2002

J.L. Nadeau. Introduction to ExperimentalBiophysics. CRC PRess, 2018

D. Johnston and S.M.-S. Wu. Foundations of cellular neurophysiology. MIT Press, 1995

R. Parthasaraty. So Simple a Beginning. Princeton Univ. Pressm, 2022

M. Ashrafuzzaman. Introduction to Modern Biophysics. CRC Press, 2024

Software

This course does not require the use of any specific software.

Only for the presentation in video, software of broacasting and edition (OBS; Shotcut, ...) will be necessary.

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed