Did the title get your attention? It was only a trick; ID in this case means interdisciplinary . According to a press release from Today, UCI will integrate Bio Sci, Engineering, ICS, Medicine, and Phy Sci in creating a doctoral program in mathematical, computational and systems biology (MCSB). Here's a great quote from the press release:

According to Lander, biologists have traditionally focused on identifying and defining the roles of the individual components of life, such as cells, proteins and genes. The new field of systems biology, however, takes a more holistic approach, viewing life as composed of complex, engineered systems refined by evolution to carry out specific, difficult tasks. “Systems biologists want to know not just how living things are built, but why they are built that way. ‘What design principles control embryonic development so that it is extremely accurate, exploit rapid cell growth to repair and regenerate tissues but restrain it from becoming cancer, or regulate metabolism so that energy is consumed when it is needed and stored when it is not?’ These are basically engineering questions within the context of biology. And, as with many engineering questions, one needs mathematics to frame them, and computer power to investigate them.” [emphasis added]

Very interesting questions indeed. So interesting that I momentarily have a desire to apply for this program. Maybe the title of this post wasn't so misleading after all?

Of course, to be fair, most scientists believe that this "design" was stochastically produced through the search process known as Darwinian evolution. But that paradigm might be shifting soon.