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What do molecular biologists mean when they say 'structure determines function'?

Greslehner, Gregor P. (2018) What do molecular biologists mean when they say 'structure determines function'? In: UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

'Structure' and 'function' are both ambiguous terms. Discriminating different meanings of these terms sheds light on research and explanatory practice in molecular biology, as well as clarifying central theoretical concepts in the life sciences like the sequence-structure-function relationship and its corresponding scientific "dogmas".
The overall project is to answer three questions, primarily with respect to proteins: (1) What is structure? (2) What is function? (3) What is the relation between structure and function?
The results of addressing these questions lead to an answer to the title question, what the statement 'structure determines function' means.


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Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Greslehner, Gregor P.gregor.greslehner@gmail.com0000-0002-4072-8229
Keywords: philosophy of biology, molecular biology, protein structure, biological function, scientific practice
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology
Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics
General Issues > Explanation
Depositing User: Dr. Gregor P. Greslehner
Date Deposited: 24 Oct 2018 14:45
Last Modified: 24 Oct 2018 14:45
Item ID: 15189
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology
Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics
General Issues > Explanation
Date: October 2018
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15189

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