The role of stochasticity in biological communication processes

Stochastic processes at molecular, cellular and higher levels in organisms are not simply noise. Organisms also use stochasticity at all levels to generate new DNA sequences, as in the immune system, and new forms of behaviour, as in the nervous system. The harnessing of stochasticity therefore endows organisms with the means to actively influence the direction of their development and evolution. (c) 2020 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Stochastic processes in organisms are not just noise, but are utilized by organisms to generate new DNA sequences and forms of behavior, actively influencing the direction of their development and evolution.