tailieunhanh - Báo cáo y học: "A comparative approach for the investigation of biological information processing: An examination of the structure and function of computer hard drives and DNA"

Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về y học được đăng trên tạp chí y học quốc tế cung cấp cho các bạn kiến thức về ngành y đề tài: A comparative approach for the investigation of biological information processing: An examination of the structure and function of computer hard drives and DNA. | D Onofrio and An Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling 2010 7 3 http content 7 1 3 THEORETICAL BIOLOGY AND MEDICAL MODELLING REVIEW Open Access A comparative approach for the investigation of biological information processing An examination of the structure and function of computer hard drives and DNA David J D Onofrio1 2 Gary An3 Correspondence davidj@email. 1College of Arts and Science Math Department University of Phoenix 5480 Corporate Drive Suite 240 Troy Michigan 48098 USA 2 BioMed Central Abstract Background The robust storage updating and utilization of information are necessary for the maintenance and perpetuation of dynamic systems. These systems can exist as constructs of metal-oxide semiconductors and silicon as in a digital computer or in the wetware of organic compounds proteins and nucleic acids that make up biological organisms. We propose that there are essential functional properties of centralized information-processing systems for digital computers these properties reside in the computer s hard drive and for eukaryotic cells they are manifest in the DNA and associated structures. Methods Presented herein is a descriptive framework that compares DNA and its associated proteins and sub-nuclear structure with the structure and function of the computer hard drive. We identify four essential properties of information for a centralized storage and processing system 1 orthogonal uniqueness 2 low level formatting 3 high level formatting and 4 translation of stored to usable form. The corresponding aspects of the DNA complex and a computer hard drive are categorized using this classification. This is intended to demonstrate a functional equivalence between the components of the two systems and thus the systems themselves. Results Both the DNA complex and the computer hard drive contain components that fulfill the essential properties of a centralized information storage and processing system. The functional equivalence of