UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

Academic Unit IV

Bachelor of Engineering
(Computer Science & Engineering)
Biology For Engineers
22SZT148
INTRODUCTION
Biology for Engineers By Dr. Devinder Kaur 1

DISCOVER . LEARN .
EMPOWER
 INTRODUCTION
Course Objective

• This subject is designed to impart

fundamental knowledge on basic of
genetics and emerging fields of biology
like biomedical recording system and
medical instrumentation.

• It is designed to impart knowledge that

how to apply basics of biology in
engineering.
https://www.uic.es/sites/default/files/uic-grau-
bioenginyeria-hero-header_1.jpg
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 INTRODUCTION
 Space for visual (size 24)
Course Outcome

CO Title Level
Number
CO1 Identify the biological concepts from an knowledge
engineering perspective.
CO2 Development of artificial systems mimicking Understand
human action.
CO3 Explain the basic of genetics that helps to Analyze
identify and formulate problems

CO4 Apply knowledge of measurement system, Apply Will be covered in this

biomedical recording system and biosensors to lecture
excel in areas such as entrepreneurship,
medicine, government, and education.

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CO5 Integrate biological principles for developing Create
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next generation technologies,
 SYLLABUS

Unit-1 Importance of Biology In Engineering Contact Hours: 15

Introduction: Fundamental Differences between Science and engineering by

Chapter 1 drawing a comparison between eye and camera, Bird flying and aircraft.
Significance of Significance of Biology in Engineering, Discuss how biological observations of 18th
Biology in Century that lead to major discoveries, Examples from Brownian motion and the
Engineering origin of thermodynamics by referring to the original observation of Robert and
Julius Mayor.
Genetics: Mendel’s laws, Concept of segregation and independent assortment,
Chapter 2 concept of allele, gene mapping, Gene interaction, Epitasis, Meiosis and Mitosis as
Genetics a part of genetics. Mechanism of how genetic material passes from parent to
offspring. Concepts of recessiveness and dominance. Concept of mapping of
phenotype to Genes, single gene disorders in humans, concept of
complementation using human genetics.
4

Biology for Engineers

 WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW
BIOLOGY
 To find solutions to
challenges, that face
mankind

 Biology is us, we are all

biological creatures

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 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Biology for Engineers

Fundamental Difference between
Science and Engineering
 Generally, Science is the study of the physical world, while
Engineering applies scientific knowledge to design processes,
structures or equipment.
 Both Engineers and Scientists will have a strong knowledge of
science, mathematics and technology, but Engineering
students will learn to apply these principles to designing
creative solutions to Engineering challenges.
 So when we think of a scientist versus engineer, the two
aren’t separate entities but belong to each other – without
science, there wouldn’t be engineering
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 FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Biology for Engineers 8

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-36e90eb8a3984ab484ff3888b4376e36.webp
Science
 Science is the study of the nature and behavior of natural
things and the knowledge that we obtain about them

 Science is the field of study concerned with discovering and

describing the world around us by observing and
experimenting

 Science is defined as the observation, identification,

description, experimental investigation, and theoretical
explanation of natural phenomena
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Engineering
 Engineering, the application of science to the optimum
conversion of natural resources to the uses of humankind

 Engineering is the creative application of scientific

principles to design or develop structures, machines,
apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing
them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the
same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast
their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as
respects an intended function, economics of operation and
safety to life and property
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Biology for Engineers 11
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There are four questions that can help you frame
your explanation of the differences between
engineering and science

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I. What’s the simple definition?
 Science is the body of knowledge that explores the physical and
natural world. Engineering is the application of knowledge in order to
design, build and maintain a product or a process that solves a problem
and fulfills a need (i.e. a technology).

 The essence of science is inquiry; the essence of engineering is

design.
 Scientific inquiry expands the scope of human perception and
understanding; engineering design expands the scope of human plans and
results

 Science is knowledge of facts and engineering is application of these

facts
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II. What’s the procedure?

 Scientists use the scientific method.  Engineers use the engineering design
process.
 The scientist starts with asking a question.
Then they do background research,  Engineers start by defining the problem,
formulate a hypothesis, test that hypothesis then they identify the criteria and
by conducting an experiment, analyze the constraints, brainstorm ideas, plan, create
data and communicate their results. a technology and improve upon their
design.

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III. What’s the goal?

 Scientists and engineers have different goals.

 Scientists seek to describe and understand the natural world.

 Engineers consider various criteria and constraints in order to design

solutions to problems, needs and wants that better the lives of
humans, animals and/or the environment.

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IV. What’s the result and impact?
 Scientists use their varied approaches—controlled experiments or
longitudinal observational studies—to generate knowledge. The final result
might be a research paper or a book, and the knowledge therein can be used
to help us understand and make predictions about the natural world.
 Engineers use scientific knowledge to create a technology.
 What does this mean in a real-world context?
 Example: A virologist is a scientist who researches how viruses are spread and how
they affect the human body. A biomedical engineer can use the virologist's
research to create an anti-viral drug that blocks a certain virus from spreading to
new cells in the body.
 In this way, both engineers and scientists are extremely important, and both
fields benefit from the ingenuity and hard work of its counterpart. In some
cases, scientists rely on the innovations that engineers design to further
their research (e.g. microscopes or monitors)
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COMPARISON BETWEEN EYE AND CAMERA

Biology for Engineers 18

Comparison between eye and camera

 Eye is an organ of sight while a camera is

equipment that is used to record images

 How eye works….. The facts gathered by using

different fields of science (like biology, physics
etc.) and then human engineered camera by
using these facts

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Comparison between eye and camera
 The human eye lets us see the world by sending impulses
to our nervous system. In many ways, it is very similar to
other optical devices, including cameras.

 Your eyes and your brain work together to allow you to

see. In fact, human eyes and brains have been coevolving
for millions of years.

 Your eyes are a bit like something else that captures

images of the world: a camera.

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Comparison between eye and camera
 The camera and the human eye have much more in
common than just conceptual philosophy — the eye
captures images similar to the way the camera does.
 The anatomy of the camera bears more similarities to a
biological eyeball than many would imagine, including the
lens-like cornea and the film-like retina.
 Similarities like these give the camera the appearance of a
robotic eye. However, though there are many similarities
between cameras and eyes, they are by no means
identical.

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How are an eye and a camera similar?
 An eye and a camera both have lenses and
light-sensitive surfaces.

 Your iris controls how much light enters

your eye.
 Your lens helps focus the light.
 The retina is a light-sensitive surface at the
back of your eye. It captures an image of what
you’re looking at.
 Then, the retina sends impulses to your brain
along the optic nerve. Finally, the brain A human eye has a lens (1), pupil (2),
interprets what you’re seeing. iris (3), cornea (4), retina (5), optic
Biology for Engineers
nerve (6), and
22
blind spot (7)
How are an eye and a camera similar?
Cross-section of a single-lens
 This is similar to what happens when a reflex (SLR) camera (© 2019
camera captures an image. Let’s Talk Science)

 First, light hits the surface of the camera’s lens.

 The aperture controls how much light enters
the camera.
 Then, the light makes its way to a light-sensitive
surface.
 For a long time, this surface was the
camera’s film. In today’s digital cameras, this
surface is an imaging sensor chip. An SLR camera has a lens (1),
mirror (2), aperture (3), prism (4),
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film or imaging sensor (5) and
eyepiece (6)
 ANATOMY OF CAMERA & EYE

Biology for Engineers 24

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Cornea and Lens
 The cornea is the “cap” of the eye. This transparent (like clear
jelly) structure sits to the front of the eye and has a spherical
curvature.
 The lens of a camera is also transparent (glass) and sits at the
front of the body.
 Like the cornea, the lens also maintains a spherical curvature.
 The corneal and lens curvature allows for the eye and camera to
view, though not in focus, a limited area to both the right and the
left.
 That is, without the curve, the eye and camera would see only
what is directly in front of it.
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Iris and Aperture
 Light adjustment: Both the eye and a camera can adjust quantity of light
entering.
 On a camera, it’s done with the aperture control built into your lens, whilst in your
eye, it’s done by having a larger or smaller iris.
 The aperture is to the camera as the iris is to the eye, and this reveals one
of many similarities between cameras vs. eyes.
 The aperture size refers to how much light is let into the camera and will
ultimately hit the sensor or film.
 As with the human eye, when the iris contracts itself, the pupil becomes
smaller and the eye takes in less light.
 When the iris widens in darker situations, the pupil becomes larger, so it
can take in more light. The same effect happens with the aperture; larger
(lower) aperture values let in more light than a small (higher) aperture
value.
BiologyThe
 lens
for Engineers opening is the pupil; the smaller the opening, the less light let
26 in.
Focus in Eyes and Cameras

 Image focusing: Human and camera lenses both focus an

inverted image onto light-sensitive surface.
 In the case of a camera, it’s focused onto film or a sensor chip.
 In your eyes, the light-sensitive surface is the retina on the inside of
your eyeball.
 Both the eye and camera have the ability to focus on one
single object and blur the rest, whether in the foreground
(shallow depth of field) or off at a distance.
 Likewise, the eye can focus on a larger image, just as a
camera (greater depth of field) can focus and capture a
large scape.
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Scope and Field of View

 As the eye, the camera has a limited scope to take

in what is around it.
 The curvature of the eye and the lens allow for
both to take in what is not directly in front of it.
 However, the eye can only take in a fixed scope,
while a camera’s scope can be changed by the focal
length of different types of lenses

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Retina and Film
 The retina sits at the back of the eye and collects the light reflected
from the surrounding environment to form the image. The same task
in the camera is performed either by film or sensors in digital
cameras.
 Retinas, film, and imaging sensor chips all have one other thing in
common. They all receive an inverted (upside-down) version of the
image. Why? The lens in both an eye and a camera is convex, or
curved outwards. When light hits a convex object, it refracts. This
flips the image upside-down.
 But you don’t see images upside-down. And the movies you watch
aren’t upside-down either. Why not?
 This is because your brain steps in to help your eyes. It knows the
world is supposed to be right side up. So it flips the image over again.
 Digital cameras are programmed to make the correction on their own.
Non-digital cameras contain a prism or mirror that flips the image so it
appears right side up. Film is transparent so you can view the images
on it the right way around.
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 How are an eye and a camera different?
 The human eye contains small muscles that contract
and relax – and this enables the lenses in your eyes to
change shape and stay focused on a moving object.
 These muscles also capable of changing the thickness
of the lens to accommodate the image being viewed.
 A camera lens can’t do this. That’s why photographers
change lenses, depending on how far away they are
from an object. Mechanical parts in the camera lens
also adjust to stay focused on a moving object.
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 How are an eye and a camera different?
 Simply speaking, the human eye is a subjective device.
 Your eyes work in harmony with your brain to create the
images you perceive: Your eyes are adjusting the focus
(by bending the light through the lens in your eyeballs)
and translating photons (light) into an electrical impulse
your brain can process.
 From there onwards, it’s all about your brain: It is
continuously readjusting its colour balance according to
the lighting context.
 In other words, our eyes know what must be seen as red
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or white or black etc.
How are an eye and a camera different?
 A camera, on the other hand, is an absolute measurement
device — It is measuring the light that hits a series of sensor,
but the sensor is ‘dumb’, and the signals recorded need to
be adjusted to suit the color temperature of the light
illuminating the scene, for example
 Lens focus: In camera, the lens moves closer/further from the
film to focus. In your eyes, the lens changes shape to focus:
The muscles in your eyes change the actual shape of the lens
inside your eyes.
 Sensitivity to light: A film in a camera is uniformly sensitive to
light. The human retina is not. Therefore, with respect to quality
of image and capturing power, our eyes have a greater
sensitivity in dark locations than a typical camera.
Biology for Engineers 32
How does an eye process colour
differently from a camera?
 Your retinas contain two types
of photoreceptors: rods and cones.
 Rods allow you to see in low light. They aren’t
useful for colour vision.
 Cones let you see in colour. There are three
types of cones. Each type responds to
different wavelengths of light. Red cones
respond to long wavelengths. Blue cones
respond to short wavelengths. Green cones
respond to medium wavelengths.
 When your brain activates different Location of rods and cones and how they
react to different wavelengths of light (Let’s
combinations of cones, you can see the Talk Science based on an image
world in colour. by Graphic_BKK1979 via iStockphoto).
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How does an eye process colour
differently from a camera?
 Cameras also have photoreceptors. But they only have
one type.
 Cameras respond to red, blue and green light using
filters placed on top of their photoreceptors.
 The photoreceptors in a camera are evenly distributed
across the lens.
 In the human eye, however, the cones are
concentrated at the center of the retina. There are no
rods at all at the center of the retina.
Biology for Engineers 34
How else are your eyes different from a
camera?
 Because a camera has photoreceptors all over its lens, it
always sees a “full” picture.
 Your eyes, on the other hand, have a blind spot. That’s the
point where the optic nerve connects to the retina. It has no
photoreceptors at all.
 Most of the time, you don’t notice your blind spot. This is
because when light hits this area of one eye, your brain
uses information from your other eye to fill in the gap.
 If you want to test your blind spot, you can with a simple
experiment.
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Biology for Engineers 36
References
 Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature28 Jul, 2009 by Janine M. Benyus.
 Video link: https://www.digimat.in/nptel/courses/video/121106008/L01.html
 https://youtu.be/ld3A065dELc
 https://medium.com/photography-secrets/whats-the-difference-between-a-
camera-and-a-human-eye-a006a795b09f
 https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/eye-vs-camera
 https://unfoldanswers.com/5-similarities-between-birds-and-aircraft/
 https://nptel.ac.in/courses/121/106/121106008/
 https://www.utoledo.edu/engineering/bioengineering/undergrad/prospective/whatisbioe.html
#:~:text=Bioengineering%20is%20the%20application%20of,health%20care%20and%20othe
r%20fields.
 https://i.pinimg.com/originals/68/c9/30/68c930e95113ceb2e3dfc9de2f164680.png
 https://youtu.be/FBUpnG1G4yQ
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For queries
Email: [email protected]

Biology for Engineers 38