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  • Book
  • © 2020

The Art of Theoretical Biology

  • Presents a unique approach to art and visualization in theoretical biology
  • Includes stunning images based on simulation results, data analysis of numerical treatment of a model
  • Contains contributions from many fields of theoretical biology

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Table of contents (71 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-x
  2. The Deadly Beauty of Cancer

    • Bartlomiej Waclaw, Martin Nowak
    Pages 1-3
  3. Cellular Connections

    • Roeland Merks
    Pages 4-5
  4. Annealing Party

    • Maximilian Strobl, Daniel Barker
    Pages 6-7
  5. Cells on the Ferris Wheel

    • Katharina Becker
    Pages 8-9
  6. The Magic Pants that Always Fit

    • Francois Nedelec
    Pages 10-11
  7. Racing Triangles

    • Glenn Webb
    Pages 12-13
  8. Rising Dragons

    • Vikram Adhikarla, Daniel Abler, Russell Rockne, Davide Maestrini, Prativa Sahoo
    Pages 14-15
  9. Henri in Wonderland

    • Hanna Schenk, Chaitanya Gokhale, Arne Traulsen
    Pages 16-17
  10. Peak of the Iceberg

    • Jana Lipkova, Diego Rossinelli, Petros Koumoutsakos, John Lowengrub, Bjoern Menze
    Pages 18-19
  11. Guiding Spiral

    • John Dallon, Hans Othmer
    Pages 20-21
  12. The Hidden Beauty of Roots

    • Ishan Ajmera, Leah Band, Jonathan Lynch
    Pages 22-23
  13. The Beauty of a Beast

    • Aenne Oelker, Thomas Horger, Christina Kuttler
    Pages 24-25
  14. The Ghost

    • Franziska Matthaeus, Damian Stichel, Kai Breuhahn
    Pages 26-27
  15. Lymph Node Landscapes

    • Hendrik Schäfer, Martin-Leo Hansmann, Ina Koch
    Pages 28-29
  16. Breezing Drops

    • Mortitz Mercker, Anna Marciniak-Czochra
    Pages 30-31
  17. Labyrinths: Exotic Patterns of Cortical Activity

    • Aytül Gökçe, Daniele Avitabile, Stephen Coombes
    Pages 32-33
  18. Mammalian Lipidomic Network

    • Ferran Casbas, Charlie Hodgman
    Pages 34-35
  19. One Step at a Time

    • Glenn Webb
    Pages 36-37
  20. How a Tumor Gets its Spots

    • George T Chen, Huaming Yan, Kehui Wang, Robert A Edwards, Marian L Waterman, Mary Lee et al.
    Pages 38-39

About this book

This beautifully crafted book collects images, which were created during the process of research in all fields of theoretical biology. Data analysis, numerical treatment of a model, or simulation results yield stunning images, which represent pieces of art just by themselves. The approach of the book is to present for each piece of visualization a lucid synopsis of the scientific background as well as an outline of the artistic vision. 


Editors and Affiliations

  • Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

    Franziska Matthäus

  • Grenfarben Agentur für Gestaltung, Berlin, Germany

    Sebastian Matthäus

  • Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Sarah Harris

  • Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Thomas Hillen

About the editors

Franziska Matthäus studied biophysics at the Humboldt University in Berlin and received her PhD from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. She worked as a postdoc, group leader and junior professor in Heidelberg and Würzburg and now holds the Giersch-Professorship Bioinformatics at the Goethe University Frankfurt, affiliated with the Frankfurt Institute for Applied Sciences (FIAS). She is interested in the chemical and mechanical regulation of cell motility, and uses a combination of image and data analysis as well as mathematical models to better understand how collective behavior or patterns emerge from internal regulation and cell-cell interaction.


Sebastian Matthäus studied communication design at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, Germany. Since 2006 he is founder and head of the graphic design firm called “Grenzfarben” in Berlin, Germany. He is an expert in illustration & animation, works for large German newspapers and firms, but also supports interactive exhibitions.

Dr Sarah Anne Harris is Associate Professor of Biological Physics at the University of Leeds. She has always been interested in understanding how biological systems perform their amazing functions within the confines of the laws of physics. While her undergraduate degree is in Physics from the University of Oxford, she then obtained her PhD from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham in 2001. She is now in the Theoretical Physics group in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and part of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology. Her research uses high performance supercomputing to model how biological molecules move and interact.

Thomas Hillen, Dr. rer. nat., is Professor and Associate Chair Research at the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Alberta in Canada. He studied at the Universities of Münster and Tübingen in Germany, before he moved to Canada in 2001. He has published five textbooks and over 80 journal publications. Currently, Dr. Hillen is President of the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematical Society (CAIMS). Dr. Hillen’s research is focused on mathematical modelling of cancer and cancer treatment. He is motivated to use advanced mathematical methods for the common good. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Art of Theoretical Biology

  • Editors: Franziska Matthäus, Sebastian Matthäus, Sarah Harris, Thomas Hillen

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33471-0

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life Sciences, Biomedical and Life Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-33470-3Published: 17 April 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-33473-4Published: 17 April 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-33471-0Published: 16 April 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 152

  • Number of Illustrations: 6 b/w illustrations, 66 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Systems Biology, Visualization, Fine Arts, Computational Biology/Bioinformatics

Buy it now

Buying options

Softcover Book USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access