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OVERCOMING BACKGROUND INTERFERENCE. “In a robust system the instructions are strong enough for ensuring the stability of the process, i.e., the self-organization is resistant, stable toward interfering interactions (such as secondary metal coordination, van der Waals stacking, etc.) or toward modifications of parameters (such as concentrations and stoichiometries of the components, presence of foreign species, etc.).” https://lnkd.in/dN969hA View in LinkedIn

TOOLS EXIST. “More than ever before in the history of the biological sciences, we have the power to not only describe diversity but also to understand mechanistically its genetic, cellular and developmental origins at an unprecedented level of resolution.” http://extavourlab.com/pdfs/papers/2016_Extavour_CurrOpGenetDev.pdf View in LinkedIn

ON ENCODING AND ALGORITHMS. “Suitable encoding by manipulation of structural subunits and processing through interactional algorithms should give access to a variety of systems. More or less strict programming of the output species may be achieved depending on the robustness of a given directing code (for instance, of hydrogen bonding or metal coordination nature), i.e., on the extent to which it is sensitive to perturbations.” https://lnkd.in/dN969hA View in LinkedIn

COMPARATIVE PHYLOGENY. “It is a truism that the study of evolution requires a comparative approach. If we want to reconstruct and learn about extinct common ancestors, the study of one extant relative is not nearly enough. Evolutionary principles emerge only when we look at a plethora of forms in phylogenetic context.” http://extavourlab.com/pdfs/papers/2016_Extavour_CurrOpGenetDev.pdf View in LinkedIn

“A SELF-ORGANIZATION PROCESS may be considered to involve three main stages: (i) molecular recognition for the selective binding of the basic components; (ii) growth through sequential and eventually hierarchical binding of multiple components in the correct relative disposition; it may present cooperativity and nonlinear behavior; and (iii) termination of the process, requiring a built-in feature, a stop signal, that specifies the end point and signifies that the process has reached completion.” https://lnkd.in/dN969hA View in LinkedIn

STUDY DIVERSITY. “From an evolutionary viewpoint, flies are highly modified crustaceans, so why not study a ‘real’ crustacean to start with? If insects are preferred, there are water striders, cockroaches and midges that can tell us more about this incredibly diverse group. Insects make up at least 90% of all the species of animals on earth.” http://extavourlab.com/pdfs/papers/2016_Extavour_CurrOpGenetDev.pdf View in LinkedIn

ORGANIZED INFORMATION. “Whereas self-assembly may be taken as simple collection and aggregation of components into a confined entity, we shall here consider self-organization as the spontaneous but information-directed generation of organized functional structures in equilibrium conditions.” https://lnkd.in/dN969hA View in LinkedIn

IGNORING DIVERSITY HAS COSTS. “It no longer seems heretical to assert that our long-lasting and prevailing focus on a handful of animal model systems has been too reductionist. We will not understand life if we keep ignoring most of the existing diversity — there is more to learn about molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology and developmental biology than the mouse, Drosophila or nematode worm can tell us.” http://extavourlab.com/pdfs/papers/2016_Extavour_CurrOpGenetDev.pdf View in LinkedIn

FROM INANIMATE TO ANIMATE. “Understanding, inducing, and directing self-processes is key to unraveling the progressive emergence of complex matter. Self-organization is the driving force that led up to the evolution of the biological world from inanimate matter.” https://lnkd.in/dN969hA View in LinkedIn

“CHEMICAL PROGRAMMING requires the incorporation into molecular components of suitable instructions for generation of a well-defined supramolecular entity. The program is molecular, the information being contained in the covalent structural framework; its operation is supramolecular, making use of recognition algorithms based on specific interaction patterns.” https://lnkd.in/dN969hA View in LinkedIn