Parrondo's paradox reveals counterintuitive wins in biology and decision making in society.
Phys Life Rev
; 51: 33-59, 2024 Aug 06.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39288541
ABSTRACT
Parrondo's paradox refers to the paradoxical phenomenon of combining two losing strategies in a certain manner to obtain a winning outcome. It has been applied to uncover unexpected outcomes across various disciplines, particularly at different spatiotemporal scales within ecosystems. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of recent developments in Parrondo's paradox within the interdisciplinary realm of the physics of life, focusing on its significant applications across biology and the broader life sciences. Specifically, we examine its relevance from genetic pathways and phenotypic regulation, to intercellular interaction within multicellular organisms, and finally to the competition between populations and species in ecosystems. This phenomenon, spanning multiple biological domains and scales, enhances our understanding of the unified characteristics of life and reveals that adaptability in a drastically changing environment, rather than the inherent excellence of a trait, underpins survival in the process of evolution. We conclude by summarizing our findings and discussing future research directions that hold promise for advancing the field.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Phys Life Rev
Journal subject:
BIOFISICA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Singapore
Country of publication:
Netherlands