Comprehensive Biophysics

Biophysics (also biological physics) is an interdisciplinary science that applies theories and methods of the physical sciences to questions of biology. Biophysics research today comprises of a number of specific biological studies. These studies do not share a unique identifying factor, or subject themselves to clear and concise definitions. This is the result of biophysics' relatively recent appearance as a scientific discipline. The studies included under the umbrella of biophysics ranges from sequence comparison to neural networks. In the recent past, biophysics included creating mechanical limbs and nanomachines to regulate biological functions. Nowadays, these are more commonly referred to as belonging to the fields of bioengineering and nanotechnology respectively. We may expect these definitions to further refine themselves. Biophysics often does not have university-level departments of its own, but have presence as groups across departments within the fields of physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, biology, biochemistry, medicine, pharmacology, physiology, and neuroscience. The field of Biophysics counts a large number of journals that are directly and indirectly concerned with the field. There is no reference work that encompasses the entire field and unites the different areas of research. Comprehensive Biophysics fills this vacuum, being a definitive work on Biophysics.