A: What is the difference between allostasis and homeostasis?
Hey there,
according to my old physiology book homeostasis defines the consistency of the interstitium. That means a cell controls its environment such as pH value, salt concentration, protein load, nutrient etc.
In contrast, allostasis contains the term allo which is greek and indicates something that changes.
Therefore, I assume the difference is just that homeostasis is the basic stability of a cell and allostasis means the stability which is maintained under certain conditions, such as stress or something.
Regards
Chapper
A picture of my aquarium which symbolized the balance in and around you!
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interessting question. Like you cant decribe "life"/"bio(s)" with biology, biology is not a rich enaugh language for this problem. I want to challenge your definition:
Homeostasis and Allostasis are both kybernetic mechanism (and not states) to bring the system into a certain nessesary state in which it maintains its functionality and integrity as a non-equilibrium, dissipative system.
But homeostasis (even if we are teached so) is no state, nor is allostasis.
Stability, robustnes, convexity, resillience, autopoesis are concepts thighly relatet to it. Or heterostasis as multi-stable behavior for distinct states (which cells dont have). But in the end we have a big incosistency problem in biology.
Onthology, Epistemology, Teleology (not theology), Cybernetics, Systemstheory, Complexitytheory, Informationtheory are all Branches of Science addressing this problem intensivly since the early beginning of the last century. Erwin Schroedingers Book "What is Life -The Physical
Aspect of the Living Cell" is a paradebeispiel :D
Hey lauch
at first
Awesome book. Got this in my collection for years. Far ahead of its time (I think it was written in the 50ies).
Yes, definitely not! It's more an entity of multiple mechanisms to maintain a functional system.
Homoestasis described this entity in a very narrow range, the cell.
Allostasis is in principle the same but in a broader range. That means more systemic.
I would speculate that allostasis could substitute homeostasis because homeostasis don't intergrate all the influences which are also important to explain the cellular behaviour.
But it is just my personal view.
Maybe a Steemian who is more into this could post some more information.
Regards
Chapper
I have done quick research
its a rather silly human reasoning: homeostasis = regulation by evolutionary design as a form of wisdom / anticipation of the system
allostasis = appropriate situation oriented reaction on perturbations as they come. Giving it a cognitive touch (which maybe explains your range arguments)
so its a teleological problem but Im open for further elaboration
Puuh, I think this is a bit too far from my current knowledge. I have to become familiar with things such as teleology first before I can assess this.
But thanks for the new insights. Never heared the term teleology before.
Up to the next stemq issue!!!
Regards
Chapper
Great comment.
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Cheers!
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