http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html In the spider-web of facts, many a truth is strangled Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:22:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8725 A. Comeau Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:03:29 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8725 This is an interesting but not necessarily novel theoretical view about the true complexity of life forms. The most successful plant breeder in Canada in the past century pointed out that most of the traits he was dealing with did not obey mendelian laws. He raised this protest in 1910, when the laws of Mendel were becoming the focus of most research in genetics and heredity. For nearly a century scientists were perhaps too attracted by the simplicity and beauty of the Mendelian theory - and later by the DNA based models - to pay attention to the complexity of the real case. This is why the vast majority could not understand McClintock. We are still far from ready to claim we have a coherent theory about heredity and about the mechanisms of life. The network properties that are under investigation (many articles dealing with this) provide a picture of a system that is more adaptable to environmental stresses and has broader diversity of evolutionary mechanisms than what the Mendelian model could support. This is an interesting but not necessarily novel theoretical view about the true complexity of life forms. The most successful plant breeder in Canada in the past century pointed out that most of the traits he was dealing with did not obey mendelian laws. He raised this protest in 1910, when the laws of Mendel were becoming the focus of most research in genetics and heredity. For nearly a century scientists were perhaps too attracted by the simplicity and beauty of the Mendelian theory – and later by the DNA based models – to pay attention to the complexity of the real case. This is why the vast majority could not understand McClintock. We are still far from ready to claim we have a coherent theory about heredity and about the mechanisms of life. The network properties that are under investigation (many articles dealing with this) provide a picture of a system that is more adaptable to environmental stresses and has broader diversity of evolutionary mechanisms than what the Mendelian model could support.

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8724 Abhishek Tiwari Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:24:00 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8724 @Ben there are few proposed measures, for example use of information theoretical approach which can estimate degeneracy and redundancy of a system in terms mutual information. http://www.pnas.org/content/96/6/3257.full suggests "degeneracy is high for systems in which many different elements can affect the output in a similar way and at the same time can have independent effects" @Ben there are few proposed measures, for example use of information theoretical approach which can estimate degeneracy and redundancy of a system in terms mutual information. http://www.pnas.org/content/96/6/3257.full suggests “degeneracy is high for systems in which many different elements can affect the output in a similar way and at the same time can have independent effects”

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8723 Benjamin Tseng Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:03:00 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8723 Apologies if this is a very newbie type question, but is there a numerical measure of degeneracy? Are certain pathways "more degenerate" than others? Do certain organisms/cell types have greater levels of degeneracy? Apologies if this is a very newbie type question, but is there a numerical measure of degeneracy? Are certain pathways “more degenerate” than others? Do certain organisms/cell types have greater levels of degeneracy?

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8722 Björn Brembs Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:31:00 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8722 Well, I guess what I was trying to say was that if the authors claim there is redundancy in biological systems, they either use the term incorrectly and mean degeneracy, or they don't understand evolutionary theory. Redundant genes will accumulate mutations and alter/lose function over time (become degenerate). There are some theoretical conditions under which you can get redundancy in gene networks, but I'm not sure how realistic they are: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9217155 Well, I guess what I was trying to say was that if the authors claim there is redundancy in biological systems, they either use the term incorrectly and mean degeneracy, or they don’t understand evolutionary theory. Redundant genes will accumulate mutations and alter/lose function over time (become degenerate). There are some theoretical conditions under which you can get redundancy in gene networks, but I’m not sure how realistic they are: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9217155

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8721 Abhishek Tiwari Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:06:00 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8721 I guess not, this is just a case of redundancy, but at same time I don't find well defined notions of degeneracy and redundancy in biological systems as in case of engineering design where we have well established definitions. I guess not, this is just a case of redundancy, but at same time I don’t find well defined notions of degeneracy and redundancy in biological systems as in case of engineering design where we have well established definitions.

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8720 Björn Brembs Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:46:00 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8720 AFAIK, most genes in a cell are not redundant, but degenerate (meaning they perform different functions but can compensate each other, at lower fitness). Redundancy as an engineer would design it is not evolutionary stable. Does this article say engineers are starting to design degenerate rather than redundant networks? AFAIK, most genes in a cell are not redundant, but degenerate (meaning they perform different functions but can compensate each other, at lower fitness). Redundancy as an engineer would design it is not evolutionary stable. Does this article say engineers are starting to design degenerate rather than redundant networks?

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8726 ResearchBlogging.org Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:42:46 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8726 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity with Cloud computing http://tinyurl.com/l63rwh</span></span> Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity with Cloud computing http://tinyurl.com/l63rwh

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8727 Virtual Hosting News Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:42:45 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8727 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity ... http://tinyurl.com/n26xkn</span></span> Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity … http://tinyurl.com/n26xkn

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8728 Virtual Hosting News Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:42:45 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8728 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity ... http://tinyurl.com/n26xkn</span></span> Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity … http://tinyurl.com/n26xkn

]]> http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/06/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems.html/comment-page-1#comment-8729 Abhishek Tiwari Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:35:39 +0000 http://abhishek-tiwari.com/2009/backup-and-fault-tolerance-in-systems-biology-striking-similarity-with-cloud-computing/#comment-8729 <span class="topsy_trackback_comment"><span class="topsy_twitter_username"><span class="topsy_trackback_content">Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity with Cloud computing: Striking similarity bet.. http://tinyurl.com/l63rwh</span></span> Backup and fault tolerance in systems biology: Striking similarity with Cloud computing: Striking similarity bet.. http://tinyurl.com/l63rwh

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