Biological systems are capable of performing complex functions with a remarkable degree   of accuracy, reliability, and robustness. We postulate that behind the celebrated diversity of the biological world lie “universal” principles that emerge at various levels of organization. For example, many signaling systems execute adaptation under noisy circumstances, and transcriptional regulatory networks can robustly achieve accurate oscillation in the presence of biological noise. In this talk, we will explore two dual functions: one is adaptation and noise attenuation, and the other one is oscillation and noise attenuation. By analyzing and computing three-node or four-node networks, we reveal essential network design principles for biological dual functions, which can be utilized in synthetic biology.