Strong Emergence in Biological Systems: Is It Open to Mathematical Reasoning?

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Systems Biology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Complex biological traits arise from protein interactions.
• Previous work introduced algorithms for weak and strong emergence.
• Strong emergence involves constitutive proteins exceeding threshold concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To modify the strong emergence algorithm to include protein redundancy.
• To establish irreducibility as the criterion for strong biological emergence.
• To explore the evolutionary implications of strong emergence for complex traits.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenological approach to quantify emergence.
• Modification of the strong emergence algorithm to account for 'full redundancy'.
• Analysis of irreducibility as a criterion for strong emergence.

Main Results:

• Irreducibility is identified as a necessary and sufficient condition for strong biological emergence.
• The modified algorithm accounts for protein redundancy in complex traits.
• Dismissal of 'unpredictability' as a relevant criterion for biological emergence.

Conclusions:

• Strong biological emergence is characterized by irreducibility.
• The phenomenological approach can reveal organizational principles of emergent traits.
• Evolution of complex traits may be guided by structural principles, not solely random processes.