Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Sheet Music
(Structure)
Audio Music
=
Sound Vibrations
(Processes)
Pianist
(Mechanisms)
Art
Fig. 11.4 Music as a Peircean sign. The piano music heard in a concert hall is an irreducible triad
of sheet music, audio music, and pianist's performance
and information aspects simultaneously, consonant with the principle of informa-
One of the most significant conclusions given in Table
11.1
is that a gene is a
dissipative structure selected by evolution for its functional value (see Row 21).
This conclusion appears reasonable in view of the fact that functions in general are
new conception of a gene and its relation to the traditional conception of genes as
nucleotide sequences (or Watson-Crick form of genes) is discussed in Sect.
11.2.2
using Fig.
11.3
. If correct, this will have many important consequences in our
understanding of how the living cell works (see Items 2-5 in Row 21, Table
11.1
).
11.2.2 The Watson-Crick (Sheet Music) and Prigoginian Forms
(Audio Music) of Genetic Information
In Ji (1988), the concepts of
equilibrium
and
dissipative
structures were utilized to
distinguish between two forms of genetic information: (a) the Watson-Crick form
whose function was postulated to be to transmit information in
time
and (b) the
Prigoginian form whose function was postulated to be to transmit information in
space
. It was then suggested that the former is akin to
musical scores
(i.e., sheet
music) and the latter to
musical sounds
(i.e., audio music). Just as converting a
sheet
music
to
audio music
requires a
pianist
, converting the genetic information encoded
in
nucleotide sequences
to the
concentration gradients
,
waves
,or
trajectories
of
chemicals inside the cell (e.g., RNA concentration trajectories shown in Fig.
11.6
)
requires
enzymes
acting as decoders and molecular motors such as RNA polymer-
ase and topoisomerases:
Music can be viewed as a sign to human mind standing for human mood and
emotion in the context of art. As such music can be represented using the same
triadic template employed to represent the Peircean sign (Fig.
6.2
) as shown in
Fig.
11.4
.
In analogy to music, a gene in the context of the cellular boundary conditions
may be viewed as an irreducible triad of the Watson-Crick and the Prigoginian
