#IS ENTROPY A STATE FUNCTION CODE#

Entropy is a measure of disorder in a system, and the maximum entropy principle states that systems evolve to states of greater disorder. Beyond biology, information optimization using e also has applications in mathematics and cosmology.Īnother principle operating in the natural world is that of maximum entropy. Nature’s affinity for optimization using this irrational number is responsible for the infinitely repeating fractals seen in jagged shorelines, fern leaves, snowflakes and trees. PantheraLeo1359531 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY The Mandelbrot set is a mathematically generated fractal. Short for Euler’s number, e is an irrational number – meaning that there’s no way to write down its exact value using fractions or decimals (although it’s approximately 2.718).

Mathematically, however, the most energy-efficient way to represent data isn’t binary (or base 2) – using 0s and 1s, as computers do – but rather base e.

#IS ENTROPY A STATE FUNCTION CODE#

Paralleling how the computer processes data consisting of 0s and 1s, life processes the genetic code based on data consisting of the four letters A, C, G and U.

My research indicates that there may be two other significant factors that natural systems consider: the information-theoretic nature of the genetic code and the principle of maximum entropy. For instance, the spatial arrangement of atoms and molecules within and surrounding the genetic code can affect its function, as well as the coevolution of other cellular structures involved in creating proteins. Scientists understand some of the guidelines that nature follows when engineering the genetic code. Optimization ensures that natural systems can adapt to different environments. Not only does the final form of a protein need to be optimal, but so do its intermediate forms. Evolutionary models of natural systems like bacteria demonstrate that nature is always striving for optimization. The mapping of the 61 codes onto the the 20 amino acids would be roughly equal, with each amino acid assigned three codons.īut nature has different priorities. If a human engineer designed the genetic code, they would want to make sure that each amino acid had a similar degree of redundancy to protect against errors and to promote uniformity. Is there a pattern to this variability, or is it random? To answer this question, scientists study the rules that govern nature’s decision-making.

Why certain amino acids have more synonyms than others is a mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades. This redundancy helps ribosomes perform their tasks correctly even when there’s a typo in the genetic code. There are only two amino acids that have exactly one codon, methionine and trytophan. An amino acid can have anywhere from one to six different codons that encode it. In fact, since there are only 20 amino acids but 61 different words to encode them, there is quite a lot of overlap. For example, “AUG” codes for the amino acid methionine and also indicates the start of a protein.īut just as in any other language, there are synonyms – different codons can encode the same amino acid. In this list of 64 words, 61 encode amino acids, and three signal the ribosome to stop protein synthesis in the cell. Ribosomes read three-letter words called codons, and there are 64 different possible combinations of the four letters that make different codons. The codon sequence is read from the center of the wheel of genetic code. In my recent research, I propose that optimization theory may provide a potential explanation for a long-standing mystery about a certain redundancy in how amino acids are encoded. Just as computers need strings of binary code to function, biological processes also rely on bits of information. But there are still many unsolved mysteries, such as why the code is important for various biological processes such as protein folding.Īs a scholar working at the interface of biology and physics, I apply information theory – the mathematics of how information is stored and communicated – to study some of these intriguing questions.

Understanding how the genetic code works is the foundation of genetic engineering and synthetic biology. The universality of the genetic code indicates a common ancestry among all living organisms and the essential role this code plays in the structure, function and regulation of biological cells. This code acts as a dictionary, translating genes into the amino acids used to build proteins. Nearly all life, from bacteria to humans, uses the same genetic code.

Is entropy a state function