#28 · Systems biology

Stochastic models link reproductive timing, replication asymmetry, and repeat evolution

The dominant thread is stochastic modeling in which population or lineage-level outcomes are derived from noise or mutational dynamics rather than assumed. A delayed-logistic model under colored environmental noise finds that intermediate reproductive delays are maladaptive, favoring rapid or strongly delayed reproduction. A stochastic generational model links replication-strand and timing mutation asymmetry to proteotoxic load and first-passage proteostasis collapse. Analysis of simple tandem repeat length distributions across T2T human and over 300 mammalian genomes pairs empirical distributions with mutation dynamics that sustain long repeats, with the stable distribution attributed to inherent repeat instability. The items differ in system and evidence type; the shared element is explicit dependence of long-run behavior on fluctuation structure. What is new is noise-dependent selection on reproductive timing and a first-passage framing of proteostasis collapse under replication asymmetry.