Biological laws describe recognized patterns among living organisms. For example, Allen rule claims that among warm -blooded animals living in cold regions, the limbs are shorter and thicker to maintain heat, and In hot areas – longer and thinner for more effective heat dispersion. This rule was formulated by Zoologist Joel Allen in 1877 and became one of the few biological laws that received recognition of scientists.
Professor of biological sciences of USC Dornsife John Tower believes that he discovered a new biological law. his idea He published on May 16 in the journal Frontiers in Anging. >
Life and instability
Tower’s law question the established opinion that most living organisms prefer stability, since it requires less energy and resources. In nature, stable structures are often found, such as hexagons in honeycombs of bees and insect eyes, since they require less material to create.
Tower proposed the concept of “selectively favorable instability” (Selectively Advantageous Instabide, SAI), according to which a certain variability in biological components, such as proteins and genetic material, gives cells an advantage. In his opinion, SAI is the basis of life. Even the simplest cells contain proteases and nucleases that regularly destroy and replace proteins and RNA, which indicates the importance of SAI for life.
Influence on evolution and aging
Sai plays a key role in evolution. Cells constantly create and destroy unstable components, which leads to the existence of cells in one of two states: with the presence of an unstable component or without it. Natural selection can act differently on these two states, which contributes to the preservation of both normal genes and their mutations in one cell population, if the normal gene is beneficial in one state, and the mutated – in another. This genetic diversity makes cells and organisms more adaptive.
selectively favorable instability can also contribute to aging. The creation and replacement of unstable components in cells requires significant energy and materials. If the mutated gene is harmful, its coexistence with normal genes can accelerate aging processes.
Further consequences
In addition to impact on evolution and aging, SAI has other important consequences. Modern studies show that Sai plays an important role in such phenomena as theory of chaos , criticality, Turing paest and “ CEOLE CONSCIOUSE “. Due to its significance and prevalence in biology, selectively favorable instability can become a new biological law.