Biology to come

Biology to come

A great many quantities will be invented in Biology / Biological Sciences to turn the descriptive discipline / disciplines into mathematical sciences.
The quantities will have relationships at several levels of abstraction:

    Genes with biochemical activities
    Biochemical activities with Cellular structures and functions
    Cellular functions with Tissue parameters 

Physiological/Pathological & Anatomical parameters will have mathematical relationship with genes and cellular activities.

Looking Back And Connecting The Dots

Sometimes, it seems amazing when you look back at time and try to connect the dots. 

I came back to America last November (2011) with a newly found interest in Biology and Business. 

For me, one of the best things about living in America at that time was fast Internet connection. When you have fast internet connection, you do stuffs that you wouldn't do otherwise. For me, it was downloading books - thousands of them!

If I find a subject area or topic interesting, I usually try to learn as much as I can from books and the web. Then while learning about the topic, whenever I come across a new topic that I find interesting, I start following the same procedure for the new topic of interest (recursively; if you prefer Computer Science terminologies!) – serendipity in action! 

I have always been fascinated by the prospects of improving health and brain power. Previously, my idea was to invent new technologies (e.g., stem cells, engineered organs etc.) for better health and more brain power. Books and ideas (e.g., human body version 2.0) of Ray Kurzweil and others have always inspired me. 

My interest in Biology led me to books - which helped me discover that both health and brain power can be improved dramatically by natural means. Reading those books, I became aware of the benefits that a sound health can bring into your life. I incorporated a lot of health practices to my life. A lot actually - 

• aerobic exercises and strength training 
• mindfulness and deep breathing 
• lots of blueberries and strawberries and nuts and yogurt 
• and a whole lot of other changes in my diet plus supplements 
• and I even started flossing! 

My quantifiable success - I lost about 40 pounds in a span of 6-9 months (from 192/194 to around 150)! 

My interest in Business, besides showing me ways to handle social problems in more elegant ways, led me to an advice: "Isolation is dangerous". So I made myself a lot more social than I was.

Then, being social and conversing with others (time period: December 2011 - March 2012), I found out that I could actually think a lot better than I thought I did and I was amazed.

I was amazed at how much I had managed to learn by myself. I have never had the opportunity of learning from very good teachers or very smart peers (excluding a few days during Math Olympiad back in 2005). I had no one to guide me. I learned to guide myself.

I was inspired.

So when I came back to Bangladesh in March 2012, my inspired self returned to unsocial life spending time on nerdy stuffs!

Now, I am eagerly waiting to find out where my previous experiences take me next. 

Life is never this simple. I have left out a lot of details. But this is surely an outline.


(Written sometime in May-June 2012; enhancements later)

Research Problems I Want To Work On

1. How do you create Advanced Artificial Intelligence that is better than human experts and understands and can reason about everything on the Web and in the real world?
2. How do you Codify Biology (DNA, Proteins, Metabolic and Signalling Pathways, Cells, Tissues, Organs, Body) so that you can predict and control? (Codification of Biology, Engineering Biology, Systems Biology, Computational Biology, Curing Diseases & Disabilities, Increasing Lifespans.) 
3. How do you invent better tools, technologies (Imaging, Optogenetics) and Models for Understanding and Engineering the Brain? How do you Cure Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders?
4. How do you Understand Complex Systems consisting of lots of interacting agents? (Application of Big Data; Inventing better Models, Mathematics, Algorithms to understand complex systems better; finding answers to age old questions in Sociology, Behavioral Science, Political Science, Economics & Business)
5. How do you Design Materials and Nanostructures with required properties using Computers?
6. How do you make Software Developers say 100 times more productive?
7. How do you design an Effective Education and Learning and Research Platform?
8. How do you create Platforms that empower people - so that the enormous potential in each and everyone of us is materialized?
9. How do you take Human – Computer (networked) collaboration, intelligence to the next level?
10. How do you integrate the Information World and the Physical World? (A world where the Physical world is completely aware of everything utilizing information from the Information World; the world of information is embedded in the Physical World.)
11. How do you design Next Generation Manufacturing Technologies? (Fab-lab, 3D Printing, Automation)
12. Exploration of new computing architectures - continuation of Moore’s law: exponential increase in processing power; computational power for data processing, intelligence; (Parallel computing architectures (e.g., GPUs); Molecular computing; Quantum computing; Cognitive computing / Neuromorphic computing)
13. How do you solve Local, Social and Global problems (clean water, cheap energy etc.) utilizing massive collaboration and exponential technologies?
14. How do you predict and prevent Natural Disasters?
15. Joining the pieces of puzzle together to get a complete picture of the Ultimate Reality. 

Evolution Of My Dreams And Understandings

My first aim in life as far as I can remember (I was 2 or 3 years old at that time) (1988 / 1989) was to become a milkman. To be precise, the goal was not about becoming a milkman. Rather, I wanted to become the honest person (who was a milkman by the name Mubarak) continuously appreciated by my parents. (“I want to become Mubarak.”) 

Next, I wanted to become a building mechanic. I used to stare with awe at those mechanics who built houses. My uncle sent me a box of tools as gift from America.

My next major change in aim occurred when I wanted to join the military. Each night, I used to wait awake until the national anthem was played with the national flag on BTV and I used to salute throughout the play. I used to watch a television program depicting military life. My uncles used to joke - “Tahsin wants to become the President!”. 

My mom told me of an incident that took place when I was a baby of few months old (1986 / 1987). One day, General Ershad (who was then the President) was delivering a speech. My mom was studying for her exams. I was lying right beside my maternal Grandfather. My Grandfather suddenly started praying loudly, "God, make my grandson a President just like President Ershad." My Grandmother called my mom, "Come. Quick. See how your dad is praying for your son!"     

During first grade (1993), the serial that influenced me most was “The sword of Tipu Sultan”. Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali were my hero at that time. The serial drew me to History. I was deeply influenced by another historical novel during Grade 3 / 4 - “খুন রাঙ্গা পথ”. Besides History, books on General Knowledge were among my favorites from an early age. My father bought me my first book on General Knowledge at the age of 5. Then I found general knowledge books in my aunt’s house. Later, I started buying general knowledge books myself. I used to stare at the world map and fantasize (Grade 3 / 4). I fantasized of first becoming a King of ancient Bengal, then King of Myanmar and later King / lifetime President of Kazakhstan. 

I remember playing computer games (Soccer and Prince of Persia) at one of our relative’s house during fifth grade (1997). Almost everyone around me wanted to become a Computer Engineer at that time. So I thought I should try to become one myself - a Computer Engineer.

During my middle school days, I was a voracious reader of novels. Reading novels was the most fun activity I could think of. I could understand different writing techniques employed by novelists. Becoming a novelist, writing great novels was my dream during 7th to 10th grade (1999 - 2002). For living, I could become a Physician, Engineer or Architect.

During 10th grade, I was determined to study medicine (there was huge encouragement from my parents) and become a Physician besides writing novels.

When I read a book on Psychology for the first time (my mom’s book on Educational Psychology from her M.Ed. course), I understood that an intense interest in the workings of human mind is one of the reasons I wanted to become a novelist. Moreover, Literature could only depict human subjective experience, but the objective theories of Psychology applied to all humans.

I thought that I could become a Physician and specialize in Psychiatry or Neurology.

Studying Psychology helped me understand the essence of science - understanding the experimentally provable general rules that govern everything we see around us.

Studying Psychology gave me the confidence that I can come up with original ideas, that I should question what is written in books.

Trying to understand the theories of Psychology in terms of my own experiences and what I see around me, made me aware of the connection between real world and the world of books and theories.

One day, as I was preparing for my high school (11th grade) admission test (later it was decided that admission would be based on results of matriculation exam), a chapter on different forms of energy from my Physics book grabbed my attention. I thought that maybe I could work on both Psychology / Neurology and Physics. I went through my 9-10th grade Physics book. I thought and wrote down my understandings. I bought other books on Physics (e.g., A Brief History of Time).

Physics taught me to understand everything in terms of fundamental constituents and few fundamental laws that govern everything we see around us.

Physics made me realize the necessity of learning Mathematics. Mathematical Olympiad was gaining popularity in Bangladesh at that time (it was 2003). I bought books and started solving problems.

One of the first problem books was “নিউরনে অনুরণন” (“Resonance in neurons”). The idea was creating resonance in neurons of your brain by solving problems rather than leaving those neurons idle!

I found out that the more I worked on problems, the better I could think - my neurons were really resonating! My interest in Psychology helped me appreciate brain function improvement and mathematical problem solving better. I discovered ways of improving brain function myself. 

It was an amazing realization - I could become anyone I wanted if I worked in the right way.

Other sciences started grabbing my attention. Psychology led me to Neuroscience - the biology of what happens in the mind. Physics led me to Cosmology (the study of the evolution of the Universe) and some of those books described evolution of our planet and Biological evolution. Evolutionary Biology was among my favorites. At that point, I saw myself as a future Scientist - trying to understand the truth and decode the laws of nature.

I became interested in Computer Science and Engineering for the first time after reading an article which described the field of Artificial Intelligence The article was written by Dr. Ali Asgar (প্রফেসর ডঃ আলি আসগর) included in a popular science book ("বিজ্ঞানের বিচিত্র জগত থেকে") by him . I learned about the fields of Neuroscience and Evolutionary Biology from his books.) (Grade 11). Psychology and Neuroscience always grabbed my attention. So when I figured out that there is a subfield in CS that tries to emulate intelligence on computers, I became interested almost instantly. Later, I participated in International Mathematical Olympiad, 2005 along with 2 others who were serious participants in programming contests and I felt that I really liked contests and competitions. Besides, computation seem to be everywhere - required in almost every branch. I could do Physics on computers. I read an inspirational book (“মেধাবী মানুষের গল্প” - ডঃ কায়কোবাদ) which depicted lives of eminent Computer Scientists and students of Computer Science. The choice was either Physics or Computer Science and Engineering, but my parents wouldn't have accepted if I had chosen Physics. Choosing Computer Science and Engineering also made sense when I considered the practical aspects - making money and marrying a nice girl - both at an early age. I thought that I could still pursue my multi-disciplinary interests besides studying CSE at college. 

In college, things didn't go out as I had expected but I am happy now and that's all that matters at the end!

If you find my life and my understandings interesting you might like Looking back and connecting the dots.

During April 2013, I thought that I should try to analyze and understand and learn from everything I see around me - just as I did with the sciences and engineering. I started with the political situation in Bangladesh. I wanted to find out what would happen if I started a new political party. Next, I applied my analysis to different domains.

I am coming across new understandings almost on a daily basis. I am looking forward to share my newer understandings at sometime in not too distant future - “living to tell the tale” - truly!