Thinking About Biology : An Invitation To Current Theoretical Biology

THINKING ABOUT BIOLOGY THINKING ABOUT BIOLOGY An Invitation to Current Theoretical Biology Editors Wilfred D. Stein Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel Francisco J. Varela CREA Ecole Polytecnique Paris, France Lecture Notes Volume III Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity Advanced Book Program .....,2c. CRC Press \up• Taylor &Francis Group \-----, Boca Raton London New York CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Director of Publications, Santa Fe Institute: Ronda K. Butler-Villa Publications Assistant, Santa Fe Institute: Della L. Ulibarri First published 1993 by Westview Press Published 2018 by CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 CRC Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Copyright © 1993 by Taylor & Francis Group LLC No claim to original U.S. Government works This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reason-able efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www. copyright.com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organiza-tion that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thinking about biology : an invitation to current theoretical biology / editors, Wilfred Stein, Francisco J. Varela. p. cm. — (Santa Fe Institute studies in the sciences of complexity. Lecture notes ; v. 3) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-201-62453-2. — ISBN 0-201-62454-0 (pbk.) 1. Biology. I. Stein, Wilfred D. II. Varela, Francisco J., 1945— . III. Series. QH311.T53 1993 92-42853 574'.01— dc20 CIP ISBN 13: 978-0-201-62454-0 (pbk) This volume was typeset using TEXtures on a Macintosh II computer. About the Santa Fe Institute The Santa Fe Institute (SFI) is a multidisciplinary graduate research and teaching institution formed to nurture research on complex systems and their simpler elements. A private, independent institution, SFI was founded in 1984. Its primary concern is to focus the tools of traditional scientific disciplines and emerging new computer resources on the problems and opportunities that are involved in the multidisciplinary study of complex systems—those fundamental processes that shape almost every aspect of human life. Understanding complex syst