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Dear FIS Colleagues,<br>
<br>
For my taste the ongoing conversation is running too fast. We have
passed, via Louis, Plamen, and other colleagues, along essential
themes on the relationship between life and formal approaches,
perhaps too cavalierly. <br>
<br>
I am still stuck with the problem of explanation in biology and the
role of Darwinism as a supposed central theory of the biologic,
motivated by the initial exchanges. The apparent centrality of
natural selection when confronted with biomolecular, physiological,
developmental, populational, and ecological arenas becomes often the
overstretching of a paradigm (of not so brilliant performance in my
opinion), and also the lack of alternative general frameworks to
reflect more consistently on the knowns and unknowns of the whole
biological complexity. The parallel with mechanics in physics could
be illustrative--classical, statistical, fluid, quantum... what is
finally "mechanics"? For Wilczek, a successful "culture".<br>
<br>
More explanatory dimensions are needed in biology, and herein we
have been commenting on topology, morphology, and other lateral
points. Living systems have discovered and introjected so many laws
of nature and emergent morpho-geometric constraints, that a whole
signaling pack devoted to deal with mechanical force (mostly via
cytoskeleton and adhesion molecules) has become essential for
organismic development. Stress and adhesion dictate gene expression,
powerfully. That some coding counterparts have to exist is OK, but
the explanatory burden belongs to the very morpho-topological
phenomena and to the functional tricks that realize it cellularly on
the biomolecular and physiological scales. The same regarding the
amazing emergences derived from the handling of electrical and
electromagnetic fields. A doctrinarism close to the sectarian takes
the existence of the encoding --by natural selection, and what
else?-- as the only significant point to reiterate, endlessly. In an
equivalence with modern technology, would we talk about market
competition as the only creative engine of inventions? <br>
<br>
The sort of explanatory art needed (quite OK with Plamen's call and
Dr. Pivar's exploration), would mean following the appropriate
disciplinary tributaries, irrespective of their origins, and not
only the officially established main course. In my view, we maintain
explanatory styles of other epochs, with far less complicated
systems of knowledge. <br>
<br>
An interesting point, perhaps more concrete, would rely on the
capability of the cellular "engine" to attain a quasi universal
problem-solving <big><big><small><small>capability. Whatever the
problem at hand, the adequate mixing of positional,
differentiating, and mecano-morphological capabilities of
cells will produce adequate inventions. The ways and means
to achieve those inventions is our explanatory problem. A
little detail is why prokaryotes were unable to conquer
morphology, while eukaryotes excelled. Was it because of the
lack of cytoskeleton and the associated lack of
mechano-topological mastery (or mainly for lacking DNA
handling virtuosity)? More other expl. branches to the
"river"?<br>
<br>
Anyhow, excuse these torpid attempt to rekindle a discussion
that for me is very important, yes, in informational
matters.<br>
<br>
best regards--Pedro </small></small><br>
</big></big>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
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Pedro C. Marijuán
Grupo de Bioinformación / Bioinformation Group
Instituto Aragonés de Ciencias de la Salud
Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Aragón (CIBA)
Avda. San Juan Bosco, 13, planta X
50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Tfno. +34 976 71 3526 (& 6818)
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es">pcmarijuan.iacs@aragon.es</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/">http://sites.google.com/site/pedrocmarijuan/</a>
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