title: Models of life: epigenetics, diversity and cycles.
abstract: This review emphasizes aspects of biology that can be understood through repeated applications of simple causal rules. The selected topics include perspectives on gene regulation, phage lambda development, epigenetics, microbial ecology, as well as model approaches to diversity and to punctuated equilibrium in evolution. Two outstanding features are repeatedly described. One is the minimal number of rules to sustain specific states of complex systems for a long time. The other is the collapse of such states and the subsequent dynamical cycle of situations that restitute the system to a potentially new metastable state.
authors.affiliation: Center for Models of Life, Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sneppen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D011157:Population Dynamics