Abstract
Degeneracy, the ability of elements that are structurally different to perform the same function or yield the same output, is a well known characteristic of the genetic code and immune systems. Here, we point out that degeneracy is a ubiquitous biological property and argue that it is a feature of complexity at genetic, cellular, system, and population levels. Furthermore, it is both necessary for, and an inevitable outcome of, natural selection.
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Dates
Type | When |
---|---|
Created | 23 years, 1 month ago (July 26, 2002, 10:35 a.m.) |
Deposited | 3 years, 4 months ago (April 13, 2022, 9:05 a.m.) |
Indexed | 1 day ago (Sept. 2, 2025, 6:35 a.m.) |
Issued | 23 years, 9 months ago (Nov. 6, 2001) |
Published | 23 years, 9 months ago (Nov. 6, 2001) |
Published Online | 23 years, 9 months ago (Nov. 6, 2001) |
Published Print | 23 years, 9 months ago (Nov. 20, 2001) |
@article{Edelman_2001, title={Degeneracy and complexity in biological systems}, volume={98}, ISSN={1091-6490}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.231499798}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.231499798}, number={24}, journal={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, publisher={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, author={Edelman, Gerald M. and Gally, Joseph A.}, year={2001}, month=nov, pages={13763–13768} }