Three biophysicists at the Rutgers University BioMaPS Institute for Quantitative Biology are changing the field of modern biology from guesswork into a more theoretical and computational science.

Alexandre Morozov, George Locke and Michael Manhart work at the Hill Center on Busch campus and are attempting to change the way biologists approach the field.

Theres lots of data but theres not any good theoretical understanding of [it], said Manhart, a fourth-year Ph.D candidate in the Department of Physics studying molecular evolution.

He said there are not enough theories, models and computational techniques that are up to speed to address the excess of data.

Being able to do something with this excess of data and being able to extract meaning from it is a really big undertaking unto itself that really requires huge advancements in theory, Manhart said.

Morozov, an associate professor in the Department of Physics, said they are moving away from the old notion of biology, which has always been an experimental science where scientists look at phenomenon and try to classify it.

We have started putting numbers on it in hopes of it becoming more like physics in the 21st century, Morozov said.

He said he wants it to be more precise and controlled.

Its an interesting area where physics and biology come together, he said.

Morozov said he, along with Manhart and Locke, a Ph.D student in the Department of Physics, tried to merge ideas of polymer physics and DNA processing, focusing on the way proteins and DNA interact.

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U. biophysicists hope to change biology field