Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
being attracted to biology because its phenomena were inherently interesting
and developing physics methods so as to be able to deal optimally with its
complexity (Hill, 1977). Much of modern physics of course does accept the
complexity and is subject to the limitations of nongenerality and nonlinearity
plaguing biology (Fröhlich & Kremer, 1983; Primas, 1981). In this sense, we
admit that we here caricature physics to serve as a contrast in a description of
the essence of systems biology.
1.3. Biochemistry and molecular biology
Whilst it was welcome that physics was able to deal so elegantly with a number
of phenomena, the problem for science was that much of what is inherently
interesting to mankind appeared to be left intractable. Life itself, in the sense of
understanding the material basis of the functioning of living organisms, therewith
eluded the science that followed the methodology of physics (Rosen, 1991).
There could be only two ways out of this dilemma: either physics adapted to
life as an object of study, or the object of study, 'life' was adapted to the
methodology of physics (perhaps with new, superphysical laws to be added, as
in Schrödinger's agenda (Schrödinger, 1944, p. 80)). The latter strategy has been
the basis of yet another success story, i.e. that of biochemistry, biophysics and
molecular biology. It was indeed set in motion by physical scientists such as
Michaelis and Menten, Franklin, Watson and Crick. Michaelis and Menten set
out to study the reaction catalyzed by a single protein, while Franklin, Watson
and Crick looked at a piece of a double-stranded DNA molecule. The molecular
processes carried out by macromolecules in living organisms were characterized
in this manner. In addition, simple and qualitative schemes of how they function
together were drawn as cartoons (such cartoon-based modelling was and is a
significant part of these sciences (Kell & Knowles, 2006)). This includes the
one showing that a piece of DNA contains the inheritable information, which
can be expressed through mRNA into proteins, which then carry out function by
catalyzing metabolic conversions, signalling and work. In these three disciplines
of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology hypotheses were proposed
and verified experimentally.
However, although they tried and claimed to operate in accordance with
the methodology of physics, as time proceeded, biochemistry and molecular
biology became less and less anchored on the principles expounded by chemistry
and physics. The hypotheses and the activities of molecular biology became
intentionally largely qualitative, and the concepts comparative (Carnap, 1966),
so that their tests (verifications/falsifications) could give a digital yes/no answer.
With this and with a strong tendency to empirical-rather than hypothesis-driven
science, biochemistry and molecular biology became immensely successful. It is
now possible to purify many or most of the water-soluble macromolecules that
