Biocybernetics

Biocybernetics is another naming scheme (the term "cybernetics" itself originated as a reflection of biological systems functioning) used in cybernetics as a description of biological science understood in technological terms, comprising biological disciplines that benefit from the application of cybernetics including neurology and multicellular systems. Biocybernetics plays a major role in systems biology, seeking to integrate different levels of information to understand how biological systems function.

Biocybernetics is an abstract science and is a fundamental part of theoretical biology, based upon the principles of systemics.

Terminology

Biocybernetics is a conjoined word from bio (Greek: βίο / life) and cybernetics (Greek: κυβερνητική / controlling-governing). Although the extended form of the word is biological cybernetics, the field is most commonly referred to as biocybernetics in scientific papers. Bioinformatics may also be properly referred to as bio informatics.

Early proponents

Early proponents of biocybernetics include Ross Ashby, Hans Drischel, and Norbert Wiener among others. Popular papers published by each scientist are listed below.

Ross Ashby, "Introduction to Cybernetics", 1956[1]
Hans Drischel, "Einführung in die Biokybernetik." 1972[2]
Norbert Wiener, "Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine", 1948[3]

Similar fields

Papers and research that delve into topics involving biocybernetics may be found under a multitude of similar names, including molecular cybernetics, neurocybernetics, and cellular cybernetics. Such fields involve disciplines that specify certain aspects of the study of the living organism (for example, neurocybernetics focuses on the study neurological models in organisms).

Categories
  • Biocybernetics – the study of an entire living organism
  • Neurocybernetics – cybernetics dealing with neurological models. (Psycho-Cybernetics was the title of a self-help book, and is not a scientific discipline)
  • Molecular cybernetics – cybernetics dealing with molecular systems (e.g. molecular biology cybernetics)
  • Cellular cybernetics – cybernetics dealing with cellular systems (e.g. information technology/cell phones or biological cells)
  • Evolutionary cybernetics – study of the evolution of informational systems (See also evolutionary programming, evolutionary algorithm)

See also

References
  1. W. Ross Ashby, Introduction to Cybernetics. Methuen, London, UK, 1956. PDF text.
  2. Hans Drischel, Einführung in die Biokybernetik. Berlin 1972
  3. Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, (Hermann & Cie Editeurs, Paris, The Technology Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, 1948).
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