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Can biological complexity be reverse engineered?

Sara Green1

  • 1Centre for Science Studies, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
|April 24, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Engineering biology faces challenges in understanding complex systems. This study addresses synchronic and diachronic underdetermination problems, arguing reverse engineering can integrate mechanistic and systems approaches for a dynamic view of organisms.

Keywords:
Design principlesDiachronic underdeterminationDynamical systems theoryEngineering approachesReverse engineeringSystems biology

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Systems Biology
  • Theoretical Biology

Background:

  • Engineering approaches in biology raise concerns regarding understanding complex systems.
  • The synchronic underdetermination problem arises from degenerate (many-to-many) relations between biological processes and system capacities.
  • The diachronic underdetermination problem concerns the non-linear, time-varying relationships in biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the synchronic and diachronic underdetermination problems in biological research.
  • To address criticisms that biological complexity renders reverse engineering of systems impossible.
  • To reconcile reverse engineering with dynamic and systems-level approaches in biology.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of underdetermination problems in biological research.
  • Critique of arguments conflating reverse engineering with reductionism.
  • Exploration of a broader conception of biological design principles.

Main Results:

  • Biological complexity presents synchronic and diachronic underdetermination challenges.
  • Reverse engineering is not inherently reductionist and can be compatible with dynamic biological systems.
  • A revised understanding of design principles can bridge mechanistic and systems approaches.

Conclusions:

  • Reverse engineering, when properly conceived, remains a viable approach in biology.
  • Systems-level and mechanistic perspectives can be integrated through a dynamic view of organisms.
  • This work supports a more holistic understanding of biological complexity and design.