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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
THE ROLE OF THEORY IN ADVANCING 21ST-CENTURY BIOLOGY
Catalyzing Transformative Research
Report of the Committee on Defining and Advancing the Conceptual Basis of Biological Sciences in the 21st Century
Board on Life Sciences
Division on Earth and Life Studies
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DBI–0633909. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-11249-9 (Book)
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-11249-4 (Book)
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-11250-5 (PDF)
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-11250-8 (PDF)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007940783
Additional copies of this report are available from the
National Academies Press,
500 Fifth Street, NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.
Cover: Design by Francesca Moghari; artwork by Nicolle Rager Fuller (www.sayo-art.com).
Copyright 2008 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
www.national-academies.org
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
COMMITTEE ON DEFINING AND ADVANCING THE CONCEPTUAL BASIS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
DAVID J. GALAS (Chair),
Battelle Memorial Institute and Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington
CARL T. BERGSTROM,
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
VICKI L. CHANDLER,
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
PAUL G. FALKOWSKI,
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
DOUGLAS J. FUTUYMA,
Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
JAMES GRIESEMER,
University of California, Davis, California
LEROY E. HOOD,
Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington
DAVID JULIUS,
University of California, San Francisco, California
JUNHYONG KIM,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
KARLA A. KIRKEGAARD,
Stanford University, Stanford, California
JANE MAIENSCHEIN,
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
EVE E. MARDER,
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
CARLOS MARTÍNEZ DEL RIO,
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
JOSEPH H. NADEAU,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
JOAN ROUGHGARDEN,
Stanford University, Stanford, California
JULIE A. THERIOT,
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
GUNTER P. WAGNER,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Staff
KERRY BRENNER, Study Director
ANN H. REID, Senior Program Officer
EVONNE P.Y. TANG, Senior Program Officer
FRANCES E. SHARPLES, Director,
Board on Life Sciences
TOVA JACOBOVITS, Senior Program Assistant
REBECCA WALTER, Program Assistant
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES
KEITH YAMAMOTO (Chair),
University of California, San Francisco, California
ANN M. ARVIN,
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
RUTH BERKELMAN,
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
DEBORAH BLUM,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
VICKI L. CHANDLER,
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
JEFFREY L. DANGL,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
PAUL R. EHRLICH,
Stanford University, Stanford, California
MARK D. FITZSIMMONS,
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, Illinois
JO HANDELSMAN,
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
KENNETH H. KELLER,
Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna, Italy
JONATHAN D. MORENO,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
RANDALL MURCH,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Alexandria, Virginia
MURIEL E. POSTON,
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
JAMES REICHMAN,
University of California, Santa Barbara, California
BRUCE W. STILLMAN,
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
MARC T. TESSIER-LAVIGNE,
Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, California
JAMES TIEDJE,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
CYNTHIA WOLBERGER,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
TERRY L. YATES,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Staff
FRANCES E. SHARPLES, Director
KERRY A. BRENNER, Senior Program Officer
ADAM P. FAGEN, Program Officer
ANNA FARRAR, Financial Associate
MERC FOX, Program Assistant
TOVA G. JACOBOVITS, Senior Program Assistant
ANN H. REID, Senior Program Officer
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
MARILEE K. SHELTON-DAVENPORT, Senior Program Officer
EVONNE P.Y. TANG, Senior Program Officer
REBECCA WALTER, Program Assistant
ROBERT T. YUAN, Senior Program Officer
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
Acknowledgments
This report is a product of the cooperation and contributions of many people. The members of the committee thank all of the speakers who briefed the committee. (Appendix C presents a list of presentations to the committee.)
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following people for their review of this report:
Douglas Cook, University of California, Davis
Daniel Dennett, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
Robert Full, University of California, Berkeley
Lou Gross, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Alan Hastings, University of California, Davis
J. Woodland Hastings, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Douglas Lauffenburger, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Simon Levin, Princeton University
Kenneth Nealson, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
Jeffrey Platt, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Tom Pollard, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Rino Rappuoli, Chiron Corp, Siena, Italy
Hudson Kern Reeve, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Gene Robinson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Michael Ryan, University of Texas, Austin
Kevin Strange, Vanderbilt University
Keith Yamamoto, University of California, San Francisco
Although the reviewers listed above provided constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Dr. May Berenbaum, University of Illinois. Appointed by the National Research Council, Dr. Berenbaum was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author committee and the institution.
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
Contents
SUMMARY
1
1
Introduction
13
2
The Integral Role of Theory in Biology
25
3
Are There Still New Life Forms to Be Discovered? The Diversity of Life—Why It Exists and Why It’s Important
38
4
What Role Does Life Play in the Metabolism of Planet Earth?
67
5
How Do Cells Really Work?
81
6
What Are the Engineering Principles of Life?
90
7
What Is the Information That Defines and Sustains Life?
110
8
What Determines How Organisms Behave in Their Worlds?
130
9
How Much Can We Tell About the Past—and Predict About the Future—by Studying Life on Earth Today?
145
10
Education: Learning to Think About the Elephant
157
11
Findings and Recommendations
162
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The Role of Theory in Advancing 21st-Century Biology: Catalyzing Transformative Research
REFERENCES
168
APPENDIXES
A
Statement of Task
187
B
Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
188
C
Workshop on Defining and Advancing the Conceptual Basis of Biological Sciences for the 21st Century
196
