Beyond Biology

Author : Jan Baedke
Publisher : University of Pittsburgh Press
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2018-07-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780822983408

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Above the Gene, Beyond Biology by Jan Baedke Pdf

Epigenetics is currently one of the fastest-growing fields in the sciences. Epigenetic information not only controls DNA expression but links genetic factors with the environmental experiences that influence the traits and characteristics of an individual. What we eat, where we work, and how we live affects not only the activity of our genes but that of our offspring as well. This discovery has imposed a revolutionary theoretical shift on modern biology, especially on evolutionary theory. It has helped to uncover the developmental processes leading to cancer, obesity, schizophrenia, alcoholism, and aging, and to facilitate associated medial applications such as stem cell therapy and cloning. Above the Gene, Beyond Biology explores how biologists in this booming field investigate and explain living systems. Jan Baedke offers the first comprehensive philosophical discussion of epigenetic concepts, explanations, and methodologies so that we can better understand this “epigenetic turn” in the life sciences from a philosophical perspective.

Author : Jeroen C. J. M. van den Bergh
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 575 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2018-10-18
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781108470971

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Human Evolution Beyond Biology and Culture by Jeroen C. J. M. van den Bergh Pdf

A complete account of evolutionary thought in the social, environmental and policy sciences, creating bridges with biology.

Author : Charles S. Yanofsky
Publisher : Outskirts Press
Page : 670 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2010-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 1432754017

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Beyond Biology by Charles S. Yanofsky Pdf

Are we machines or more than the sum of our parts?I originally intended to employ brain science in pursuit of a bare human essence or soul. I found in Neurology even deeper insights. We humans bootstrap the brain, through many iterations, in a more secular way. Brain science in the service of religion is a misadventure. Still there is more to humankind than biological description, in that we have far richer experience than biological endowments should allow. That layer of civilization, mediated by the brain, has multiplied mental and physical capacities. This book will reveal for the reader heretofore untold brain machinations in novel ways. It is my hope that my passion for the intellectual challenge of this field is conveyed in these pages. If you are interested in the brain, there is much for you here. But because we have reached a threshold of intellect, we will now step right out of our bodies and heads into a wider realm, that threatens to alter the very definition of self. The eye sees only a sliver of the full spectrum of light, yet we visualize over the entire wide spectrum and picture galaxies and atoms with invisible light. Imagination catapults us from the mundane little world into fiction and prophesy and outer space and we do it all with associative volumes of brain. I invite you to find out how in Beyond Biology.

Author : Jacob M. Kohlhaas
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
Page : 278 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2021-11
Category : RELIGION
ISBN : 9781647121136

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Beyond Biology by Jacob M. Kohlhaas Pdf

Jacob M. Kohlhaas's Beyond Biology is a breakthrough in the theology of parenthood, integrating Catholic social thought and social scientific studies of child well-being in order to offer a more diverse and inclusive interpretation.

Author : Kriti Sharma
Publisher : Fordham Univ Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2015-06-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780823265541

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Interdependence by Kriti Sharma Pdf

From biology to economics to information theory, the theme of interdependence is in the air, framing our experiences of all sorts of everyday phenomena. Indeed, the network may be the ascendant metaphor of our time. Yet precisely because the language of interdependence has become so commonplace as to be almost banal, we miss some of its most surprising and far-reaching implications. In Interdependence, biologist Kriti Sharma offers a compelling alternative to the popular view that interdependence simply means independent things interacting. Sharma systematically shows how interdependence entails the mutual constitution of one thing by another—how all things come into being only in a system of dependence on others. In a step-by-step account filled with vivid examples, Sharma shows how a coherent view of interdependence can help make sense not only of a range of everyday experiences but also of the most basic functions of living cells. With particular attention to the fundamental biological problem of how cells pick up signals from their surroundings, Sharma shows that only an account which replaces the perspective of “individual cells interacting with external environments” with one centered in interdependent, recursive systems can adequately account for how life works. This book will be of interest to biologists and philosophers, to theorists of science, of systems, and of cybernetics, and to anyone curious about how life works. Clear, concise, and insightful, Interdependence: Biology and Beyond explicitly offers a coherent and practical philosophy of interdependence and will help shape what interdependence comes to mean in the twenty-first century.

Author : Brian G. Henning,Adam Scarfe
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 489 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2013-02-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780739174371

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Beyond Mechanism by Brian G. Henning,Adam Scarfe Pdf

It has been said that new discoveries and developments in the human, social, and natural sciences hang “in the air” (Bowler, 1983; 2008) prior to their consummation. While neo-Darwinist biology has been powerfully served by its mechanistic metaphysic and a reductionist methodology in which living organisms are considered machines, many of the chapters in this volume place this paradigm into question. Pairing scientists and philosophers together, this volume explores what might be termed “the New Frontiers” of biology, namely contemporary areas of research that appear to call an updating, a supplementation, or a relaxation of some of the main tenets of the Modern Synthesis. Such areas of investigation include: Emergence Theory, Systems Biology, Biosemiotics, Homeostasis, Symbiogenesis, Niche Construction, the Theory of Organic Selection (also known as “the Baldwin Effect”), Self-Organization and Teleodynamics, as well as Epigenetics. Most of the chapters in this book offer critical reflections on the neo-Darwinist outlook and work to promote a novel synthesis that is open to a greater degree of inclusivity as well as to a more holistic orientation in the biological sciences.

Author : Gerd B. Muller,Stuart A. Newman
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2003-01-03
Category : Science
ISBN : 0262134195

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Origination of Organismal Form by Gerd B. Muller,Stuart A. Newman Pdf

A more comprehensive version of evolutionary theory that focuses as much on the origin of biological form as on its diversification. The field of evolutionary biology arose from the desire to understand the origin and diversity of biological forms. In recent years, however, evolutionary genetics, with its focus on the modification and inheritance of presumed genetic programs, has all but overwhelmed other aspects of evolutionary biology. This has led to the neglect of the study of the generative origins of biological form. Drawing on work from developmental biology, paleontology, developmental and population genetics, cancer research, physics, and theoretical biology, this book explores the multiple factors responsible for the origination of biological form. It examines the essential problems of morphological evolution—why, for example, the basic body plans of nearly all metazoans arose within a relatively short time span, why similar morphological design motifs appear in phylogenetically independent lineages, and how new structural elements are added to the body plan of a given phylogenetic lineage. It also examines discordances between genetic and phenotypic change, the physical determinants of morphogenesis, and the role of epigenetic processes in evolution. The book discusses these and other topics within the framework of evolutionary developmental biology, a new research agenda that concerns the interaction of development and evolution in the generation of biological form. By placing epigenetic processes, rather than gene sequence and gene expression changes, at the center of morphological origination, this book points the way to a more comprehensive theory of evolution.

Author : Denis Noble
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 169 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2008-02-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780191578809

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The Music of Life by Denis Noble Pdf

What is Life? Decades of research have resulted in the full mapping of the human genome - three billion pairs of code whose functions are only now being understood. The gene's eye view of life, advocated by evolutionary biology, sees living bodies as mere vehicles for the replication of the genetic codes. But for a physiologist, working with the living organism, the view is a very different one. Denis Noble is a world renowned physiologist, and sets out an alternative view to the question - one that becomes deeply significant in terms of the living, breathing organism. The genome is not life itself. Noble argues that far from genes building organisms, they should be seen as prisoners of the organism. The view of life presented in this little, modern, post-genome project reflection on the nature of life, is that of the systems biologist: to understand what life is, we must view it at a variety of different levels, all interacting with each other in a complex web. It is that emergent web, full of feedback between levels, from the gene to the wider environment, that is life. It is a kind of music. Including stories from Noble's own research experience, his work on the heartbeat, musical metaphors, and elements of linguistics and Chinese culture, this very personal and at times deeply lyrical book sets out the systems biology view of life.

Author : Tim J. Stevens,Wayne Boucher
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 721 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2015-02-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780521895835

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Python Programming for Biology by Tim J. Stevens,Wayne Boucher Pdf

This book introduces Python as a powerful tool for the investigation of problems in computational biology, for novices and experienced programmers alike.

Author : James Tabery
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2023-10-31
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262549608

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Beyond Versus by James Tabery Pdf

Why the “nature versus nurture” debate persists despite widespread recognition that human traits arise from the interaction of nature and nurture. If everyone now agrees that human traits arise not from nature or nurture but from the interaction of nature and nurture, why does the “nature versus nurture” debate persist? In Beyond Versus, James Tabery argues that the persistence stems from a century-long struggle to understand the interaction of nature and nurture—a struggle to define what the interaction of nature and nurture is, how it should be investigated, and what counts as evidence for it. Tabery examines past episodes in the nature versus nurture debates, offers a contemporary philosophical perspective on them, and considers the future of research on the interaction of nature and nurture. From the eugenics controversy of the 1930s and the race and IQ controversy of the 1970s to the twenty-first-century debate over the causes of depression, Tabery argues, the polarization in these discussions can be attributed to what he calls an “explanatory divide”—a disagreement over how explanation works in science, which in turn has created two very different concepts of interaction. Drawing on recent developments in the philosophy of science, Tabery offers a way to bridge this explanatory divide and these different concepts integratively. Looking to the future, Tabery evaluates the ethical issues that surround genetic testing for genes implicated in interactions of nature and nurture, pointing to what the future does (and does not) hold for a science that continues to make headlines and raise controversy.

Author : Stephanie L. Brown,R. Michael Brown,Louis A. Penner
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2011-10-26
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780195388107

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Moving Beyond Self-Interest by Stephanie L. Brown,R. Michael Brown,Louis A. Penner Pdf

Moving Beyond Self-Interest is an interdisciplinary volume that discusses cutting-edge developments in the science of caring for and helping others. In Part I, contributors raise foundational issues related to human caregiving. They present new theories and data to show how natural selection might have shaped a genuinely altruistic drive to benefit others, how this drive intersects with the attachment and caregiving systems, and how it emerges from a broader social engagement system made possible by symbiotic regulation of autonomic physiological states. In Part II, contributors propose a new neurophysiological model of the human caregiving system and present arguments and evidence to show how mammalian neural circuitry that supports parenting might be recruited to direct human cooperation and competition, human empathy, and parental and romantic love. Part III is devoted to the psychology of human caregiving. Some contributors in this section show how an evolutionary perspective helps us better understand parental investment in and empathic concern for children at risk for, or suffering from, various health, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Other contributors identify circumstances that differentially predict caregiver benefits and costs, and raise the question of whether extreme levels of compassion are actually pathological. The section concludes with a discussion of semantic and conceptual obstacles to the scientific investigation of caregiving. Part IV focuses on possible interfaces between new models of caregiving motivation and economics, political science, and social policy development. In this section, contributors show how the new theory and research discussed in this volume can inform our understanding of economic utility, policies for delivering social services (such as health care and education), and hypotheses concerning the origins and development of human society, including some of its more problematic features of nationalism, conflict, and war. The chapters in this volume help readers appreciate the human capacity for engaging in altruistic acts, on both a small and large scale.

Author : Wallace Arthur
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2020-09-24
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781108836944

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The Biological Universe by Wallace Arthur Pdf

Current state of play in astrobiology, including exoplanets and their atmospheres, habitable zones and the likelihood of evolution elsewhere.

Author : Wenxiu Ye,Juan Dong,Toshinori Kinoshita
Publisher : Frontiers Media SA
Page : 188 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2022-03-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9782889746200

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Stomatal Biology and Beyond by Wenxiu Ye,Juan Dong,Toshinori Kinoshita Pdf

Author : Boyce Rensberger
Publisher : Ballantine Books
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 1996-02-13
Category : Reference
ISBN : WISC:89057513467

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Instant Biology by Boyce Rensberger Pdf

From a look at Darwin's evolutionary musings on the diversity of existence to an enlightening walk down the double helix stairway, this guide delivers the science that brings the very act of living (and dying) to life. Photos throughout.

Author : Vikas Prasad
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 367 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2024-01-05
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9783031335334

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Beyond Becquerel and Biology to Precision Radiomolecular Oncology: Festschrift in Honor of Richard P. Baum by Vikas Prasad Pdf

This open access book is written by world-renowned experts on radiomolecular precision oncology to celebrate the work, life, principles and ideology of Richard P Baum. It includes commentaries, reviews and some thought provoking novel ideas on radionuclide precision oncology, covering topics such as various aspects of theranostics and molecular radiotherapy like radiolabeled peptides, radiolabeled antibodies, dosimetry, and quality control as well as the diagnosis and treatment of specific tumor types. Featuring contributions by biologists, physicists, chemists, mathematicians, geneticists, and physicians from a range of specialties, this Festschrift is highly interdisciplinary and will be a valuable resource for future precision oncologists.