About this Research Topic
Biological organisms are kept under a constant process of adaptation, evolution, and replication. In general, these organisms are conformed by a set of heat conversion and biochemical processes that require a successful seize of energy sources. In this sense, life is highly dependent on thermodynamic optimization for controlling biological processes and evolution by improving aspects such as heritability, structure, and metabolism. Evolution, in the end, relies on the effectiveness at building and maintaining structure while seeking reproduction with heritable variations to efficiently consume free energy. However, the complex relations between energy requirements and interdependencies with the surroundings represent a limitation for a complete microscopic understanding of such mechanisms, and as a result, in many cases one relies on explaining emerging properties that could hide the processes that drive, control, and govern evolution.
It is in this framework that thermodynamics has arisen as a natural way to model and extract new information from biological systems and tackle, in particular, the problem of evolution and adaptability. Thermodynamics, empirical in nature and with simple laws, is one of the so-called structure-independent theories. For this reason, it is particularly good in describing general behaviors. The obtaining of energetic objectives, functional requirements, organization, and structure information could offer us a glimpse of the underlying optimization processes involved in the adaptation of organisms to their surroundings and the mechanisms responsible for them.
This Research Topic is focused on what the characterization of entropy and information could tell us about life and survival. In the complexity of life, certain structures and mechanisms might be triggered by energetic and adaptability requirements. For this reason, the present proposal is focused on exploring the role of entropy in evolution and adaptation and to what extent complexity works in favor to improve biological mechanisms.
The scope of this Research Topic includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Entropy in biological systems
• Information theory in evolution
• Linkage between complexity and entropy in biological systems
• Entropy and dissipation in adaptation.
Topic Editor Aldo Guzman-Saenz is employed by IBM. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
It is in this framework that thermodynamics has arisen as a natural way to model and extract new information from biological systems and tackle, in particular, the problem of evolution and adaptability. Thermodynamics, empirical in nature and with simple laws, is one of the so-called structure-independent theories. For this reason, it is particularly good in describing general behaviors. The obtaining of energetic objectives, functional requirements, organization, and structure information could offer us a glimpse of the underlying optimization processes involved in the adaptation of organisms to their surroundings and the mechanisms responsible for them.
This Research Topic is focused on what the characterization of entropy and information could tell us about life and survival. In the complexity of life, certain structures and mechanisms might be triggered by energetic and adaptability requirements. For this reason, the present proposal is focused on exploring the role of entropy in evolution and adaptation and to what extent complexity works in favor to improve biological mechanisms.
The scope of this Research Topic includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Entropy in biological systems
• Information theory in evolution
• Linkage between complexity and entropy in biological systems
• Entropy and dissipation in adaptation.
Topic Editor Aldo Guzman-Saenz is employed by IBM. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
Keywords: entropy, information, evolution, adaptability, complexity
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