title: Stochastic cell.
abstract: Accumulating experimental evidence of stochasticity, self-organization and abrupt non-linear transitions underlying the dynamics of cellular structure and function is increasingly more consistent with the concepts and models of phase transitions, critical phenomena and non-linear thermodynamics rather than with the conventional clockwork description of the cell. The novel emerging image of the stochastic cell suggests that familiar and convenient classico-mechanical interpretations may be limiting our ability to understand the behavior of biological systems and calls for active exploration of alternative interpretational frameworks.
authors.affiliation: Buck Institute for Age Research, Novato, CA 94945, USA. akourakine@buckinstitute.org
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurakin
mesh_terms: D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008954:Models, Biological; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D013816:Thermodynamics