Another unsolvable problem and axiom of biology: it is impossible to deduce the properties of cells in an organism from the properties of individual cells

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Abstract

Within a brief commentary, the problem of unpredictable “emergent” properties of complex biological systems arising from interactions between their individual components is discussed. We draw attention to the fundamental impossibility of determining the state of the cell within the organism based on the data obtained after its separation from the multicellular system. Briefly considered are the current state of research on the history of the emergence of multicellularity and the complexity it has introduced into the discussion of the evolution of life on Earth. An axiom is proposed summarizing existing data, asserting that properties of multicellular organisms emerge at each level of organization that are unpredictable based on the properties of individual modules and cells. It is not possible to derive from the properties of individual cell components their properties in the whole organism.

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About the authors

L. G. Kondratyeva

National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”; Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: liakondratyeva@yandex.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow, 123182; Moscow, 117997

E. D. Sverdlov

National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”

Email: edsverd@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow, 123182

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2. Fig. 1. Emergent properties. a – non-interacting cells; b – interacting cells generate an intercellular signaling system (arrows) and incomprehensible emergent properties, conventionally designated by a shapeless multi-colored figure.

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3. Fig. 2. A. Einstein.

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