Barbarian
Member
In systems, degeneracy occurs when dissimilar elements in a system have functionally similar behaviors in particular ways. And example would be blood clotting systems, and immune systems, where phylogenetically primitive systems exist after more recent systems have evolved.
Examples are the properdin and antimicrobial peptide systems that underlay immune globulins and cellular immunity. They still function in entirely different ways. This "degeneracy" makes for a more robust population and explains how complicated and sometimes irreducibly complex systems can evolve.
Evolutionary development is beginning to make clear how degenerate biological functions can be, and how important this process is in biological systems as it is in economics.
Examples are the properdin and antimicrobial peptide systems that underlay immune globulins and cellular immunity. They still function in entirely different ways. This "degeneracy" makes for a more robust population and explains how complicated and sometimes irreducibly complex systems can evolve.
Evolutionary development is beginning to make clear how degenerate biological functions can be, and how important this process is in biological systems as it is in economics.