The dynamics of life. II. The steady-state theory of mutation rates.

The statistical effect of internal irradiation on the survival of beagles is similar to that of aging, with the exception that death occurs earlier. Since biological processes are close to equilibrium most of the time, the above observation suggests that death ensues when the rate of insult has exceeded the rate of recovery to a sufficient extent that the reserves are depleted and the steady state can no longer be maintained. The steady-state theory of mutation rates is derived from first principles, and, through absolute rate theory, is completely general and is not limited to a specific kind of cellular alteration. However, the nature of the cellular alterations that lead to nonsurvival are considered. The young growing system is also considered in the context of this theory.