Replication in
biology simply refers to the act or ability to make a copy. (Mostly commonly meaning
molecular replication).
- Self-replication refers to the act of a molecule (or any other pattern) making a copy of itself.
- DNA replication the act of copying the genetic material of a cell (DNA) to a daughter cell is almost, but not quite, a form of self-replication because it requires the cellular apparatus to perform that replication.
- Semiconservative replication is the particular mechanism of DNA replication, of several mechanisms that were originally hypothesised, that was found to be actually used in cells.
Replication in computer science refers to the redundant storage and backup of the same data on multiple file systems to improve reliability, for example: Coda.