4 ms·

This is an interesting point, and I hope it is actionable. Of course we need to understand the biological components and systems in detail. Unfortunately biolo

This is an interesting point, and I hope it is actionable. Of course we need to understand the biological components and systems in detail. Unfortunately biology varies wildly between individuals, while the radio is constructed to a specific design, from parts standardized to three significant figures or so. A wiring diagram for a radio is sufficient, but cells are influenced by a very dynamic environment. We won't diagram my gut biome to that level of detail, yet it influences My biology.

rwj 4y ago
Actually, lots of circuits can be built with components specified to within 20%, perhaps with some key components specified more tightly. Good designs are robust against component variation.
- dgacmu 4y ago
  And one of the mechanisms for making robust designs is feedback (think 98% of op-amp circuits), which happens to be a favorite in biological systems.
  - procarch2019 4y ago
    Agreed, got my degree in BME and it was probably evenly split between Bio, EE and Mech E. Went on to work in industrial automation, which a lot of people look at me with a questionable stare, but actually makes perfect sense. I remember going to a career fair senior year right after doing a physio lab where we directly studied feedback systems. The company I ended up working for was demoing their software, which was control graphics. Looked a lot like the diagrams we were using in labs.
kurthr 4y ago
Yes, one was designed while the other evolved. That makes understanding their operation qualitatively different (e.g. one is almost linear sequence of nearly ideal stages with minimal degrees of freedom, while the other are completely non-linear chemical systems with hundreds or thousands of degrees of freedom). Even reverse engineering a GPT3 instance is mind boggling and the number of independent variables is tiny in comparison.

rwj 4y ago

Actually, lots of circuits can be built with components specified to within 20%, perhaps with some key components specified more tightly. Good designs are robust against component variation.

dgacmu 4y ago
And one of the mechanisms for making robust designs is feedback (think 98% of op-amp circuits), which happens to be a favorite in biological systems.
- procarch2019 4y ago
  Agreed, got my degree in BME and it was probably evenly split between Bio, EE and Mech E. Went on to work in industrial automation, which a lot of people look at me with a questionable stare, but actually makes perfect sense. I remember going to a career fair senior year right after doing a physio lab where we directly studied feedback systems. The company I ended up working for was demoing their software, which was control graphics. Looked a lot like the diagrams we were using in labs.

kurthr 4y ago

Yes, one was designed while the other evolved. That makes understanding their operation qualitatively different (e.g. one is almost linear sequence of nearly ideal stages with minimal degrees of freedom, while the other are completely non-linear chemical systems with hundreds or thousands of degrees of freedom). Even reverse engineering a GPT3 instance is mind boggling and the number of independent variables is tiny in comparison.