Systems Biology Using A Mechanical Engineering Approach

Some good ideas for modeling complex systems from my former discipline:

Quantitative modeling of a biological pathway normally involves intense computer simulations to crunch all available data on the dozens of relevant reactions in the pathway, producing a detailed interaction map.

Now an MIT team has used an engineering approach to show that complex biological systems can be studied with simple models developed by measuring what goes into and out of the system. Such an approach can give researchers an alternative way to look at the inner workings of a complicated biological system-such as a pathway in a cell-and allow them to study systems in their natural state.

Read the whole thing.

Seems like there might be some good ideas here for studying complex economic systems too.

P.S. -- Read more on MIT News.