title: Extended physics as a theoretical framework for systems biology?
abstract: In this essay we examine whether a theoretical and conceptual framework for systems biology could be built from the Bailly and Longo (2008, 2009) proposal. These authors aim to understand life as a coherent critical structure, and propose to develop an extended physical approach of evolution, as a diffusion of biomass in a space of complexity. Their attempt leads to a simple mathematical reconstruction of Gould's assumption (1989) concerning the bacterial world as a "left wall of least complexity" that we will examine. Extended physical systems are characterized by their constructive properties. Time is acting and new properties emerge by their history that can open the list of their initial properties. This conceptual and theoretical framework is nothing more than a philosophical assumption, but as such it provides a new and exciting approach concerning the evolution of life, and the transition between physics and biology.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire CEPERC, UMR CNRS, 6059, Université de Provence, France. Paul-Antoine.MIQUEL@unice.fr
authors.forename: Paul-Antoine
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Miquel
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D018533:Biomass; D019277:Entropy; D055459:Facilitated Diffusion; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D008433:Mathematics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010684:Philosophy; D055585:Physical Phenomena; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods*