Messy biology and the origins of evolutionary innovations.
Biological messiness relates to infidelity, heterogeneity, stochastic noise and variation--both genetic and phenotypic--at all levels, from single proteins to organisms. Messiness comes from the complexity and evolutionary history of biological systems and from the high cost of accuracy. For better or for worse, messiness is inherent to biology. It also provides the raw material for physiological and evolutionary adaptations to new challenges.
Tawfik
Dan S
DS
Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. tawfik@weizmann.ac.il
D001120:Arginine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001686:Biological Phenomena; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D005838:Genotype; D010641:Phenotype; D011392:Proline / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013269:Stochastic Processes
D004798:Enzymes; D001120:Arginine; D011392:Proline