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From molecules to behavior and the clinic: Integration in Chronobiology

Bechtel, William (2012) From molecules to behavior and the clinic: Integration in Chronobiology. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Chronobiology, especially the study of circadian rhythms, provides a model scientific field in which philosophers can study how investigators from a variety of disciplines working at different levels of organization are each contributing to a multi-level account of the responsible mechanism. I focus on how the framework of mechanistic explanation integrates research designed to decompose the mechanism with efforts directed at recomposition that relies especially on computation models. I also examine how recently the integration has extended beyond basic research to the processes through which the disruption of circadian rhythms contributes to disease, including various forms of cancer. Understanding these linkages has been facilitated by discoveries about how circadian mechanisms interact with mechanisms involved in other physiological processes, including the cell cycle and the immune system.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Bechtel, Williambill@mechanism.ucsd.edu
Keywords: mechanistic explanation, dynamic mechanistic explanation, circadian rhythms, integration in science
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics
General Issues > Explanation
Specific Sciences > Neuroscience
General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Depositing User: Professor William Bechtel
Date Deposited: 25 Jul 2012 15:35
Last Modified: 25 Jul 2012 15:35
Item ID: 9253
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics
General Issues > Explanation
Specific Sciences > Neuroscience
General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Date: 24 July 2012
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9253

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