Definition
Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical modeling, and abstractions about living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, development, and behavior of biological systems. It can be understood in contrast to experimental biology, which involves the conduction of experiments to obtain evidence in order to construct and test theories. The field is sometimes called mathematical biology or biomathematics to emphasize the mathematical aspect, or as theoretical biology to highlight the theoretical aspect. Theoretical biology focuses more on the development of theoretical principles for biology, while mathematical biology focuses on the application of mathematical tools to study biological systems. These terms often converge, for instance in the topics of Artificial Immune Systems or Amorphous Computation.
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