Systems Biology: The elements and principles of Life
Abstract
Systems Biology has a mission that puts it at odds with traditional paradigms of physics and molecular biology, such as the simplicity requested by Occam’s razor and minimum energy/maximal efficiency. By referring to biochemical experiments on control and regulation, and on flux balancing in yeast, we show that these paradigms are inapt. Systems Biology does not quite converge with biology either: Although it certainly requires accurate ‘stamp collecting’, it discovers quantitative laws. Systems Biology is a science of its own, discovering own fundamental principles, some of which we identify here.
Keywords: Flux balance analysis, Efficiency, Occam’s razor, Minimum energy, Complexity, Control, Regulation, Organization, Yeast, Philosophy of Systems Biology
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PII: S0014-5793(09)00911-9
doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2009.11.018
© 2009 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier BV. All rights reserved.
