Biology & Engineering Module 1

Biology & Engineering Approaches

• Module 1, taught by Dr. Priyanka Singh, Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, IITJ.

What is Engineering?

• Engineering involves studying existing things (science) and theories, alongside the needs of society and nature, to create tools and solve problems.
• It also involves creating things that don't exist (technology), using the knowledge and tools from the needs and resources that exist.
• Engineers combine scientific understanding with technological know-how to address needs.

Chemical Engineering

• Chemical engineering draws from chemistry, physical chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics.
• It's heavily influenced by various industries including energy, materials, petrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

Design Process in Engineering

• Engineering design involves analysis and synthesis.
• Analysis focuses on identifying needs, evaluating existing solutions, and choosing the best approaches.
• Synthesis involves formulating requirements, generating ideas, creating models/prototypes, and making detailed decisions.

Difference Between Science and Engineering

• Science seeks to understand the natural world through inquiry
• Engineering designs solutions based on scientific understanding.

Data Scientist vs Data Engineer

• Data Scientist: Analyzes and interprets complex data to uncover insights; uses statistical models, machine learning, and analytics; focuses on forecasting and predictive modeling; skilled in Python, R, and data visualization tools.
• Data Engineer: Designs, builds, and maintains data infrastructure; works with ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) and data pipelines; focuses on data collection, storage, and accessibility; skilled in SQL, data warehousing, and big data tools (Hadoop, Spark).

Biology/Medicine-Engineering Landscape

• Biotechnology uses living organisms (and their derivatives) to develop products and processes.
• Bioengineering is a broad field involving different technologies applied to biology.
• Biomedical engineering applies engineering principles to medicine and human health. This field covers various areas like biomaterials, tissue engineering, and more.

Bioengineering: New Interface of Engineering and Biology

• The 1950s saw the discovery of the DNA double helix, kicking off the first biotech revolution.
• The Human Genome Project in the 1990s dramatically advanced our understanding of genetics.
• The 2000s saw advancements in synthetic biology.

Human Genome Project: 1990-2003

• The Human Genome Project (HGP) mapped all human genes, greatly improving our understanding of human genetics.
• Comparative genomics compared human genes to those of other species to understand similarities, genetics, evolutionary history, etcetera
• The HGP impacted medical research, especially in understanding and treating cancer, and enabling personalized medicine.

Genome and Gene

• A genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism.
• A gene is a segment of DNA that provides instructions for proteins and RNA.
• An average human genome contains 25,000 genes, and each gene typically codes for three proteins.
• Human cells contain about 6 feet of DNA in each cell and over 10 trillion cells in the body.

The Bio Revolution

• McKinsey predicts a biotech revolution reaching $4 trillion per year by the 2030s.
• This revolution will affect human health and transform agriculture.

Neuralink Brain Chip

• A chip designed to allow signals and functions from the brain to be recorded and used to control external technologies.

Nature's Curiosities

• Examples of animals and biological entities in nature with specific size characteristics were given.

Get Curious

• Tardigrades, microscopic animals, have remarkable survival abilities like suspending their life processes and tolerating extreme environmental conditions.

Nature's Innovations for Today's Solutions

• Many biological systems have remarkable survival abilities like anoxybiosis, cryptobiosis, anhydrobiosis, and osmobiosis.
• Nature's innovations inspire many technologies designed to address today's challenges.

Next-generation Cameras

• Researchers have found inspiration in animals like fruit flies, moths, and crabs, to develop tiny compound-eye cameras.

Problem with Smart Glues

• Some smart glues contain formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
• Also, these glues are irreversible and ineffective underwater.

From Basics to Bio-Inspired Designs

• Various natural designs, such as color-changing fibers from hogberries, elephant-inspired handling, woodpecker-inspired shock absorbers, and peacock feather-inspired paint, are being considered for use and design in various applications and technologies by human engineers.

Living Systems as Natural Bioengineers

• Nature's ingenious designs offer inspiration for new technologies, including the design of the Shinkansen bullet train from bird beaks and Velcro from burrs.

Engineering Marvels

• Animal features inspire engineering innovations including the boxfish's shape giving ideas for next-generation vehicles and termite houses inspiring architectural designs of buildings that do not use climate control.

Inspiration from Spiders for Mission Mars

• Scientists developed a robot rover inspired by spiders for exploring Mars.
• Spiders' unique method of movement (rolling) that inspired a new robot design.

More Robotics Inspirations from Nature

• Self-propelled robots, flexible robots, soft grippers, balancing robots, repairing robots, swim and algae-inspired robots, and various other robots are inspired by nature.