Measurement Scale and the Dissipation of Information Shape Biological Pattern
summary
Argues that a robustness–decay duality drives evolution: higher-level controllers (RAID-like redundancy) permit cheaper, sloppier parts that then decay and create irreversibility. Uses single‑cell genomics (high cell‑to‑cell stochasticity vs tissue averaging), deterministic cascade models (random small Hill exponents combine to give Hill ≈1.7 after 12 steps), a mitosis example with Hill coefficient ~3.5, and stochastic diffusion‑limited molecular simulations that produce switchlike responses. Emphasizes aggregate structure and scale transformation—aggregation and information dissipation, not only specific microscale mechanisms, generate common biological switches.
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