Understanding biology across scales

Introduction

From cells initiating healing in response to injury to entire species adapting to biological threats, the inherent resilience of life defies comprehension. And, yet, at a fundamental level, all organisms are made up of a couple thousand cells operating in sync.

Without bridging extremes of scale — from genes and cells to tissues, organs, and fully functioning creatures — many fundamental biological processes driving life might seem fictitious. At the Whitehead Institute, researchers exemplify an integrated approach to science by investigating biological questions along a continuum. Their work unifies insights across scales of size, time, and process — each indispensable for understanding the fundamentals of life, renewal, and resilience.

Scale of size:

No gear is an island — just as a machine relies on the precise operation of its mechanical components, an organism depends on the coordinated function of its building blocks. Molecules, the basic building blocks of life, come together to form organelles, which are specialized structures within cells. Groups of cells then unite to form tissues that collaborate on a specific task. These tissues are interconnected by networks of genes that synchronize the life processes of an organism.

Through the study of life at every scale, researchers at Whitehead Institute are able to piece together how each “component” of an organism acts as part of a vital machine that comprises a living organism and how these parts may go awry in the case of disease.

Scale of time:

Take a deep dive into the journey of life. It starts with a single fertilized egg cell dividing to form two new cells. These cells then continuously divide to produce thousands of cells, driving processes like growth, aging, and disease throughout an organism's lifetime. Over millions of years, as genetic instructions within these cells accumulate epigenetic changes or mutations, species evolve. But through all this, life persists as organisms survive and reproduce.

By studying life through its various stages — from a single cell division to the lifespan of an organism and evolutionary changes in a species — researchers at the Whitehead Institute gain a comprehensive understanding of how disruptions at any stage impact the health and survival of individual organisms and entire species.

Scale of process:

Genes, like instruments in an orchestra, produce proteins that keep the symphony of life running smoothly. Researchers at the Whitehead Institute are exploring the scale of this symphony, from the function of individual genes to how they work together in a complex system, by leveraging advanced genomic techniques and computer modeling. Their work offers a reimagined view of the intricate workings of cells and what life looks like from the micro to the macro level.

Dive into this multimedia collection to learn more.