Exploring the Metabolic Marketplace Through the Lens of Systems Biology

Abstract

“The systems biology lens situates the phenomenon of life somewhere between molecule and autonomous organism. The focus throughout is on organism: life emerges from a system of material components that are functionally organised in such a way that the system can autonomously and continuously produce and repair itself, can distinguish itself from the rest of the world, and can adaptively restructure itself within its genomic constraints in the face of environment fluctuations. Systems biology therefore goes beyond the properties of individual biomolecules, taking seriously their organisation into a living whole.”.