Subtitled Unlocking the Secrets of Existence, this book is a readable tour through the maths of biology and ecology. The book is very accessible for those who don't enjoy too much maths and covers topics such as the Fibonacci series, the maths of genetics, game theory, networking and patterns.
I've got a Botany degree, and so a lot of this felt like revision, but very engaging and sometimes entertaining revision with a new focus on maths. As a student, I had been aware of the importance of statistics in populations studies in ecology and also the importance of mechanics in environmental physics (my least favourite subject, far too much physics!). Reading this book, though, really opened my eyes to the hidden maths, particularly that which determines the pattern and form of living things.
This is an excellent book if you want an overview of the hidden importance of maths to biology, but if you want some serious mathematical investigation, you may need to look elsewhere!
Mathematics of Life by Ian Stewart, published (2012) by Profile Books.
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