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SUMMARY:Modelling Life - How Quantum Mechanics can Help us Understand Biol
 ogy - Prof Mike Payne\, Department of Physics
DTSTART:20061017T190000Z
DTEND:20061017T200000Z
UID:TALK5693@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:4259
DESCRIPTION:The biggest challenge facing biologists today is the transitio
 n to a quantitative understanding of life\, that would allow the propertie
 s of complex systems to be predicted by calculations based on the the know
 ledge of their parts.\n\nIn principle\, the behaviour of systems on an ato
 mic scale can be accurately predicted using quantum mechanics. Biological 
 phenomena obey the same physical laws as all forms of matter. In practice\
 , the size of biological molecules\, made up of hundreds of thousands of a
 toms acting on each other over relatively long time-scales\, has made such
  modelling a formidable task.\n\nProf Mike Payne will present ingenious co
 mputational methods\, which make it possible to obtain useful predictions 
 of biological processes\, by means of "first principle" quantum methods. H
 e will give stunning examples of actual biochemical questions that have be
 en answered by this approach. His group has developed modelling software w
 hich is accessible to biologists\, and requires only moderate computing po
 wer.\n\nProf Payne will demonstrate how much gain be gained where biologis
 ts and physicists start talking to each other! This promises to be a fasci
 nating interdisciplinary talk given by a leader in this emerging field of 
 computational biology.\n\n
LOCATION:Pharmacology Lecture Theatre\, Tennis Court Road
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