Using Entropy Leads to a Better Understanding of Biological Systems

Abstract

In studying biological systems, conventional approaches based on the laws of physics almost always require introducing appropriate approximations. We argue that a comprehensive approach that integrates the laws of physics and principles of inference provides a better conceptual framework than these approaches to reveal emergence in such systems. The crux of this comprehensive approach hinges on entropy. Entropy is not merely a physical quantity. It is also a reasoning tool to process information with the least bias. By reviewing three distinctive examples from protein folding dynamics to drug design, we demonstrate the developments and applications of this comprehensive approach in the area of biological systems.

Keywords

• entropy
• inference
• folding dynamics
• tubulin expression level
• aptamer