Perspectives On Organisms

Author : Giuseppe Longo,Maël Montévil
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2013-12-13
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783642359385

Get Book

Perspectives on Organisms by Giuseppe Longo,Maël Montévil Pdf

This authored monograph introduces a genuinely theoretical approach to biology. Starting point is the investigation of empirical biological scaling including their variability, which is found in the literature, e.g. allometric relationships, fractals, etc. The book then analyzes two different aspects of biological time: first, a supplementary temporal dimension to accommodate proper biological rhythms; secondly, the concepts of protension and retention as a means of local organization of time in living organisms. Moreover, the book investigates the role of symmetry in biology, in view of its ubiquitous importance in physics. In relation with the notion of extended critical transitions, the book proposes that organisms and their evolution can be characterized by continued symmetry changes, which accounts for the irreducibility of their historicity and variability. The authors also introduce the concept of anti-entropy as a measure for the potential of variability, being equally understood as alterations in symmetry. By this, the book provides a mathematical account of Gould's analysis of phenotypic complexity with respect to biological evolution. The target audience primarily comprises researchers interested in new theoretical approaches to biology, from physical, biological or philosophical backgrounds, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students who want to enter this field.

Author : Jonathan Roughgarden,Robert M May,Simon A. Levin
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 403 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2014-07-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781400860180

Get Book

Perspectives in Ecological Theory by Jonathan Roughgarden,Robert M May,Simon A. Levin Pdf

This volume presents an overview of current accomplishments and future directions in ecological theory. The twenty-three chapters cover a broad range of important topics, from the physiology and behavior of individuals or groups of organisms, through population dynamics and community structure, to the ecology of ecosystems and the geochemical cycles of the entire biosphere. The authors focus on ways in which theory, whether expressed mathematically or verbally, can contribute to defining and solving fundamental problems in ecology. A second aim is to highlight areas where dialogue between theorists and empiricists is likely to be especially rewarding. The authors are R. M. Anderson, C. W. Clark, M. L. Cody, J. E. Cohen, P. R. Ehrlich, M. W. Feldman, M. E. Gilpin, L. J. Gross, M. P. Hassell, H. S. Horn, P. Kareiva, M.A.R. Koehl, S. A. Levin, R. M. May, L. D. Mueller, R. V. O'Neill, S. W. Pacala, S. L. Pimm, T. M. Powell, H. R. Pulliam, J. Roughgarden, W. H. Schlesinger, H. H. Shugart, S. M. Stanley, J. H. Steele, D. Tilman, J. Travis, and D. L. Urban. Originally published in 1989. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author : D. M. Walsh
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2015-11-13
Category : History
ISBN : 9781107122109

Get Book

Organisms, Agency, and Evolution by D. M. Walsh Pdf

This book argues that evolution arises from the activities of organisms as agents, not from the replication of genes.

Author : Susan Schrepfer,Philip Scranton
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2004-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9781135942922

Get Book

Industrializing Organisms by Susan Schrepfer,Philip Scranton Pdf

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Author : Sam Mickey,Sean Kelly,Adam Robbert
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2017-04-24
Category : Nature
ISBN : 9781438465289

Get Book

The Variety of Integral Ecologies by Sam Mickey,Sean Kelly,Adam Robbert Pdf

Presents integral approaches to ecology that cross the boundaries of the humanities, social sciences, and biophysical sciences. In the current era of increasing planetary interconnectedness, ecological theories and practices are called to become more inclusive, complex, and comprehensive. The diverse contributions to this book offer a range of integral approaches to ecology that cross the boundaries of the humanities and sciences and help us understand and respond to today’s ecological challenges. The contributors provide detailed analyses of assorted integral ecologies, drawing on such founding figures and precursors as Thomas Berry, Leonardo Boff, Holmes Rolston III, Ken Wilber, and Edgar Morin. Also included is research across the social sciences, biophysical sciences, and humanities discussing multiple worldviews and perspectives related to integral ecologies. The Variety of Integral Ecologies is both an accessible guide and an advanced supplement to the growing research for a more comprehensive understanding of ecological issues and the development of a peaceful, just, and sustainable planetary civilization.

Author : Scott Lidgard,Lynn K Nyhart
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2017-05-24
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226446592

Get Book

Biological Individuality by Scott Lidgard,Lynn K Nyhart Pdf

Individuals are things that everybody knows—or thinks they do. Yet even scholars who practice or analyze the biological sciences often cannot agree on what an individual is and why. One reason for this disagreement is that the many important biological individuality concepts serve very different purposes—defining, classifying, or explaining living structure, function, interaction, persistence, or evolution. Indeed, as the contributors to Biological Individuality reveal, nature is too messy for simple definitions of this concept, organisms too quirky in the diverse ways they reproduce, function, and interact, and human ideas about individuality too fraught with philosophical and historical meaning. Bringing together biologists, historians, and philosophers, this book provides a multifaceted exploration of biological individuality that identifies leading and less familiar perceptions of individuality both past and present, what they are good for, and in what contexts. Biological practice and theory recognize individuals at myriad levels of organization, from genes to organisms to symbiotic systems. We depend on these notions of individuality to address theoretical questions about multilevel natural selection and Darwinian fitness; to illuminate empirical questions about development, function, and ecology; to ground philosophical questions about the nature of organisms and causation; and to probe historical and cultural circumstances that resonate with parallel questions about the nature of society. Charting an interdisciplinary research agenda that broadens the frameworks in which biological individuality is discussed, this book makes clear that in the realm of the individual, there is not and should not be a direct path from biological paradigms based on model organisms through to philosophical generalization and historical reification.

Author : Gillian Barker,Eric Desjardins,Trevor Pearce
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2013-09-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789400770676

Get Book

Entangled Life by Gillian Barker,Eric Desjardins,Trevor Pearce Pdf

This volume explores the interactions between organisms and their environments and how this “entanglement” is a fundamental aspect of all life. It brings together the work and ideas of historians, philosophers, biologists, and social scientists, uniting a range of new perspectives, methods, and frameworks for examining and understanding the ways that organisms and environments interact. The volume is organized into three main sections: historical perspectives, contested models, and emerging frameworks. The first section explores the origins of the modern idea of organism-environment interaction in the mid-nineteenth century and its development by later psychologists and anthropologists. In the second section, a variety of controversial models—from mathematical representations of evolution to model organisms in medical research—are discussed and reframed in light of recent questions about the interplay between organisms and environment. The third section investigates several new ideas that have the potential to reshape key aspects of the biological and social sciences. Populations of organisms evolve in response to changing environments; bodies and minds depend on a wide array of circumstances for their development; cultures create complex relationships with the natural world even as they alter it irrevocably. The chapters in this volume share a commitment to unraveling the mysteries of this entangled life.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:1368524637

Get Book

Evolutionary Biology by Anonim Pdf

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 154 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 1993
Category : Environmental health
ISBN : MINN:30000010711137

Get Book

Environmental Health Perspectives by Anonim Pdf

Author : David Wake
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Science
ISBN : 1621820726

Get Book

Size Control in Biology by David Wake Pdf

Size is a primary feature of living things. From egg to adult, the various organs, tissues, cells, and subcellular structures that make up an organism grow to appropriate sizes so that they effectively fit and function together. The misregulation of this growth can lead to diseases such as cancer. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines our current understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that precisely regulate the sizes of biological structures so that they can function efficiently in their cellular, organismal, or ecological context. Contributors discuss the various genetic, hormonal, and environmental inputs that trigger cells to grow, divide, or die, the various signaling pathways involved, and how these determine the final body size of an organism and the proportions of its component tissues and organs. Size-sensing mechanisms that enable cells to maintain their optimal sizes are reviewed, as are the scaling mechanisms that organelles use to adjust their sizes in response to changes in cell size. Examples from across the tree of life--from bacteria to humans--are provided. The authors also describe the mysteries that still remain about cell size and its control, including the nature of the intriguing relationship between nuclear DNA content and cell size. This volume will therefore be fascinating reading for all cell, developmental, and evolutionary biologists.

Author : Alvaro Moreno,Matteo Mossio
Publisher : Springer
Page : 221 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2015-05-04
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789401798372

Get Book

Biological Autonomy by Alvaro Moreno,Matteo Mossio Pdf

Since Darwin, Biology has been framed on the idea of evolution by natural selection, which has profoundly influenced the scientific and philosophical comprehension of biological phenomena and of our place in Nature. This book argues that contemporary biology should progress towards and revolve around an even more fundamental idea, that of autonomy. Biological autonomy describes living organisms as organised systems, which are able to self-produce and self-maintain as integrated entities, to establish their own goals and norms, and to promote the conditions of their existence through their interactions with the environment. Topics covered in this book include organisation and biological emergence, organisms, agency, levels of autonomy, cognition, and a look at the historical dimension of autonomy. The current development of scientific investigations on autonomous organisation calls for a theoretical and philosophical analysis. This can contribute to the elaboration of an original understanding of life - including human life - on Earth, opening new perspectives and enabling fecund interactions with other existing theories and approaches. This book takes up the challenge.

Author : Franklin M. Harold
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780195163384

Get Book

The Way of the Cell by Franklin M. Harold Pdf

A leading microbiologist provides thought-provoking insights into the question of "What is Life?" as he examines the relationship of living things to the inorganic realms of physics and chemistry, explains how lifeless chemicals come together to form living beings, and details the true complexity of seemingly simple microorganisms such as E. coli.

Author : Donat-Peter Häder,Ruth Hemmersbach,Michael Lebert
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2005-01-17
Category : Science
ISBN : 0521820529

Get Book

Gravity and the Behavior of Unicellular Organisms by Donat-Peter Häder,Ruth Hemmersbach,Michael Lebert Pdf

Unicellular organisms use gravity as an environmental guide to reach and stay in regions optimal for their growth and reproduction. These single cells play a significant role in food webs and these factors together make the effects of gravity on unicellular organisms a fascinating and important subject for scientific study. In addition, they present valuable model systems for studying the mechanisms of gravity perception, a topic of increasing interest in these days of experimentation in space. This book reveals how single cells achieve the same sensoric capacity as multicellular organisms like plants or animals. It reviews the field, discussing the historical background, ecological significance and related physiology of unicellular organisms, as well as various experimental techniques and models with which to study them. Those working on the biology of unicellular organisms, as well as in related areas of gravitational and space science will find this book of value.

Author : Madhur Mangalam,Alen Hajnal,Damian G. Kelty-Stephen
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 412 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2024-02-13
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781003850885

Get Book

The Modern Legacy of Gibson's Affordances for the Sciences of Organisms by Madhur Mangalam,Alen Hajnal,Damian G. Kelty-Stephen Pdf

This edited collection provides a comprehensive and empirically informed discussion on affordances and their role in studying goal-directed behavior, covering philosophical, experimental psychological, neuroscientific, and applied perspectives. Showcasing the work of expert contributors from different backgrounds, the book inspires new directions for future research in affordances. Chapters address questions relating to the definition and perception of affordances, their advantages over stimuli, the relationship between affordances and behavior, and how systems engage with affordances in different tasks and intentions. This question-based format provides a distinctive perspective that allows for a thorough exploration of the expansive field of affordance research. This book serves as a crucial resource for seasoned scientists, researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of ecological psychology, sensation and perception, cognition, and the philosophy of cognitive science, as well as non-academic individuals interested in mind sciences broadly construed. It provides valuable insights and knowledge in these fields, making it an essential reference for those seeking to deepen their understanding in the areas of perception and cognition.

Author : Fernando Lolas,Eduardo Rodriguez
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 154 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2019-10-28
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9781527542334

Get Book

Latin American Perspectives on Scientific Research by Fernando Lolas,Eduardo Rodriguez Pdf

This collection of papers presents case studies and reflections on research bioethics from the standpoint of two Latin American academics involved in the teaching and dissemination of good practices and essential information on bioethics and various related topics. While limited in scope to a few key issues, the text may be read as an inspiration to comparative analyses of research practices involving human subjects and as an example of the reception of fundamental ideas on science and technology adopted in the Latin American region after their development in other areas of the globe.