Biology studies life in its variety and complexity. It describes how organisms go about getting food, communicating,  sensing the environment, and reproducing. On the other hand, physics looks for mathematical laws of nature and makes detailed predictions about the forces that drive idealized systems. Spanning the distance between the complexity of life and the simplicity of physical laws is the challenge of biophysics. Looking for the patterns in life and analyzing them with math and physics is a powerful way to gain insights. This knowledge can then be translated into the design and understanding of materials based on biological components or principles.