Journal of Theoretical Biology 477:108–126 (2019)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
It has become customary to conceptualize the living cell as an intricate piece of machinery, different to a man-made machine only in terms of its superior complexity. This familiar understanding grounds the conviction that a cell's organization can be explained reductionistically, as well as the idea that its molecular pathways can be construed as deterministic circuits. The machine conception of the cell owes a great deal of its success to the methods traditionally used in molecular biology. However, the recent introduction of novel experimental techniques capable of tracking individual molecules within cells in real time is leading to the rapid accumulation of data that are inconsistent with an engineering view of the cell. This paper examines four major domains of current research in which the challenges to the machine conception of the cell are particularly pronounced: cellular architecture, protein complexes, intracellular transport, and cellular behaviour. It argues that a new theoretical understanding of the cell is emerging from the study of these phenomena which emphasizes the dynamic, self-organizing nature of its constitution, the fluidity and plasticity of its components, and the stochasticity and non-linearity of its underlying processes.
|
Keywords | Biological ontology Metaphors in Science Mechanicism Reductionism Determinism Stochasticity Self-Organization Molecular Biology Biological Theory Theoretical Biology |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
What is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems.Javier Suárez & Vanessa Triviño - 2020 - Frontiers in Psychology 187 (11).
Organization Needs Organization: Understanding Integrated Control in Living Organisms.Leonardo Bich & William Bechtel - 2022 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 93:96-106.
In Defense of the Agent and Patient Distinction: The Case From Molecular Biology and Chemistry.Davis White Kuykendall - forthcoming - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
Metabolism Instead of Machine: Towards an Ontology of Hybrids.Julia Rijssenbeek, Vincent Blok & Zoë Robaey - 2022 - Philosophy and Technology 35 (3):1-23.
A Relic of Design: Against Proper Functions in Biology.Emanuele Ratti & Pierre-Luc Germain - 2022 - Biology and Philosophy 37 (4):1-28.
View all 9 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
Cells in the Non‐Uniform Magnetic World: How Cells Respond to High‐Gradient Magnetic Fields.Vitalii Zablotskii, Tatyana Polyakova & Alexandr Dejneka - 2018 - Bioessays 40 (8):1800017.
In Search of Mitochondrial Mechanisms: Interfield Excursions Between Cell Biology and Biochemistry.William Bechtel & Adele Abrahamsen - 2007 - Journal of the History of Biology 40 (1):1-33.
Toward the Virtual Cell: Automated Approaches to Building Models of Subcellular Organization “Learned” From Microscopy Images.Taráz E. Buck, Jieyue Li, Gustavo K. Rohde & Robert F. Murphy - 2012 - Bioessays 34 (9):791-799.
Transmission of Mechanical Stresses Within the Cytoskeleton of Adherent Cells: A Theoretical Analysis Based on a Multi-Component Cell Model.Philippe Tracqui & Jacques Ohayon - 2004 - Acta Biotheoretica 52 (4):323-341.
Discovering Cell Mechanisms: The Creation of Modern Cell Biology.William Bechtel - 2005 - Cambridge University Press.
Discovering Cell Mechanisms: The Creation of Modern Cell Biology.William Bechtel - 2007 - Journal of the History of Biology 40 (1):185-187.
If the Genome Isn’T a God-Like Ghost in the Machine, Then What is It?M. Blute - 2005 - Biology and Philosophy 20 (2-3):401-407.
Single-Cell Hi-C Bridges Microscopy and Genome-Wide Sequencing Approaches to Study 3D Chromatin Organization.V. Ulianov Sergey, Tachibana‐Konwalski Kikue & V. Razin Sergey - 2017 - Bioessays 39 (10):1700104.
Single-Cell Hi-C Bridges Microscopy and Genome-Wide Sequencing Approaches to Study 3D Chromatin Organization.Sergey V. Ulianov, Kikue Tachibana-Konwalski & Sergey V. Razin - 2017 - Bioessays 39 (10):1700104.
Efficient and Innocuous Live‐Cell Delivery: Making Membrane Barriers Disappear to Enable Cellular Biochemistry.Jean‐Philippe Pellois - 2019 - Bioessays 41 (6):1900031.
Stress‐Induced Evolutionary Innovation: A Mechanism for the Origin of Cell Types.Günter P. Wagner, Eric M. Erkenbrack & Alan C. Love - 2019 - Bioessays 41 (4):1800188.
Cell Size Control - a Mechanism for Maintaining Fitness and Function.Teemu P. Miettinen, Matias J. Caldez, Philipp Kaldis & Mikael Björklund - 2017 - Bioessays 39 (9):1700058.
Using Ontologies to Study Cell Transitions.Ludger Jansen, G. Fuellen, U. Leser & A. Kurtz - 2012 - In M. Boeker, H. Herre, R. Hoehndorf & F. Loebe (eds.), OBML 2012. Workshop Proceedings. Dresden, September 27-28.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2019-07-02
Total views
3,223 ( #1,110 of 2,507,635 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
230 ( #2,253 of 2,507,635 )
2019-07-02
Total views
3,223 ( #1,110 of 2,507,635 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
230 ( #2,253 of 2,507,635 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads