The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to biophysics:

Biophysicsinterdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physics to study biological systems.[1]

Nature of biophysics

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Biophysics is

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  • An academic discipline – branch of knowledge that is taught and researched at the college or university level. Disciplines are defined (in part), and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, and the learned societies and academic departments or faculties to which their practitioners belong.
  • A scientific field (a branch of science) – widely recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies its own terminology and nomenclature. Such a field will usually be represented by one or more scientific journals, where peer-reviewed research is published.
  • An interdisciplinary field – field of science that overlaps with other sciences

Scope of biophysics research

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Biophysics research overlaps with

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Branches of biophysics

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  • Astrobiophysics – field of intersection between astrophysics and biophysics concerned with the influence of the astrophysical phenomena upon life on planet Earth or some other planet in general.
  • Medical biophysics – interdisciplinary field that applies methods and concepts from physics to medicine or healthcare, ranging from radiology to microscopy and nanomedicine. See also, medical physics.
    • Clinical biophysics – studies the process and effects of non-ionizing physical energies utilized for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.[2][3]
  • Membrane biophysics – study of biological membranes using physical, computational, mathematical, and biophysical methods.
  • Molecular biophysics – interdisciplinary field that applies methods and concepts from physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology[4] to understand biomolecular systems and explain biological function in terms of molecular structure, structural organization, and dynamic behaviour at various levels of complexity, from single molecules to supramolecular structures, viruses and small living systems.

Biophysical techniques

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Scientist using a stereo microscope outfitted with a digital imaging pick-up

Biophysical techniques – methods used for gaining information about biological systems on an atomic or molecular level. They overlap with methods from many other branches of science.

Applications

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Biophysical structures and phenomena

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In molecular biophysics

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In cellular biophysics

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Biophysics organizations

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Biophysics publications

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Persons influential in biophysics

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Careers in Biophysics brochure, Biophysical Society https://www.biophysics.org/Portals/1/PDFs/Career%20Center/Careers%20In%20Biophysics.pdf Archived 2011-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Aaron RK, Ciombor DM, Wang S, Simon B. Clinical biophysics: the promotion of skeletal repair by physical forces. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006 Apr;1068:513-31. Review.
  3. ^ Anbar, M. Clinical biophysics: A new concept in undergraduate medical education. J Medical Education, 56, 443–444 (1981)
  4. ^ "What is molecular biophysics?". Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
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