title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Manchester Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. Hans.Westerhoff@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Hans V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Westerhoff
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Winder
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Messiha
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simeonidis
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adamczyk
authors.forename: Malkhey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bruggeman
authors.forename: Warwick
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D001671:Biochemistry; D016678:Genome; D019369:Life; D010825:Physics; D049490:Systems Biology; D013816:Thermodynamics; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology