Fight with Dan

[drmonroedvm]

We don't have those run of the mill couple fights like "Why do you leave the toilet seat up?!" or "Wash a f@(#*$ing dish!" or "Quit hanging out with girls!!".  No, those are too unsophisticated for us. So what sort of things do we argue about, you ask? Last night's scuffle was

Comments

[whitewhalewhat]

Many system's biologists are trying to model nature based on mathematical equations, and they all say that we can try. But there are just too many variables that exist or that we do not know about. This is where the physical sciences and the biological sciences come to a head. A mathematical model would show what things are like "in a perfect world". But we don't live in a perfect world, and there are a multitude of systems that influence just one factor (e.g. transcription, translation), that we don't have a full understanding. Another example...anti-anti-sigma factors were recently discovered. Models for transcriptions before this had never taken this into account because the physical scientists simply didn't know about them.

So in conclusion, I agree with you. And I will ask a system's biologist (Dr. Uri Alon) on Tuesday when I meet him for lunch :-P So I definitely do NOT think you are ignorant. In fact, I don't think Dan is taking into account that biology is not perfect, and you really can't explain everything using

[drmonroedvm]

Awesome! Let me know what he thinks!

P.S. I miss you.