Evo-devo: A New Evolutionary Paradigm?

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 105-124
Author(s):  
Michael Ruse
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Newtonian Mechanics ◽  
Evo Devo ◽  
Morphogenetic Fields ◽  
Better Than

The homologies of process within morphogenetic fields provide some of the best evidence for evolution—just as skeletal and organ homologies did earlier. Thus, the evidence for evolution is better than ever. The role of natural selection in evolution, however, is seen to play less an important role. It is merely a filter for unsuccessful morphologies generated by development. Population genetics is destined to change if it is not to become as irrelevant to evolution as Newtonian mechanics is to contemporary physics. (Gilbert, Opitz, and Raff 1996, 368)

Evo-devo: A New Evolutionary Paradigm?

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 8-9
Author(s):  
Michael Ruse
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Newtonian Mechanics ◽  
Evo Devo ◽  
Morphogenetic Fields ◽  
Better Than

The homologies of process within morphogenetic fields provide some of the best evidence for evolution—just as skeletal and organ homologies did earlier. Thus, the evidence for evolution is better than ever. The role of natural selection in evolution, how–ever, is seen to play less an important role. It is merely a filter for unsuccessful morphologies generated by development. Population genetics is destined to change if it is not to become as irrelevant to evolution as Newtonian mechanics is to contempo–rary physics. (Gilbert, Opitz, and Raff 1996, 368)

Evolution: Medicine’s most basic science

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-42
Author(s):  
Randolph M. Nesse ◽  
Richard Dawkins
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
The Body ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Cost

The role of evolutionary biology as a basic science for medicine is expanding rapidly. Some evolutionary methods are already widely applied in medicine, such as population genetics and methods for analysing phylogenetic trees. Newer applications come from seeking evolutionary as well as proximate explanations for disease. Traditional medical research is restricted to proximate studies of the body’s mechanism, but separate evolutionary explanations are needed for why natural selection has left many aspects of the body vulnerable to disease. There are six main possibilities: mismatch, infection, constraints, trade-offs, reproduction at the cost of health, and adaptive defences. Like other basic sciences, evolutionary biology has limited direct clinical implications, but it provides essential research methods, encourages asking new questions that foster a deeper understanding of disease, and provides a framework that organizes the facts of medicine.

scholarly journals Dynamic structures in evo-devo: From morphogenetic fields to evolving organisms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Jaeger
Keyword(s):  
Active Role ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Dynamic Structures ◽  
Evo Devo ◽  
Morphogenetic Fields

Evolution does not act on particular stages in the life of an organism. Instead, it alters developmental processes and life cycles in response to environmental conditions to bring about phenotypic change. The structure of these processes determines evolvability, the capacity of organisms to adapt. These structures are intrinsically dynamic. The organisational principles underlying organisms and the morphogenetic fields that constitute their ontogeny actively remodel themselves over time. How this occurs, and how it influences the rate and direction of evolutionary change, are central questions for biology. They lead us to fundamentally reconsider the active role of organisms in evolutionary change, which raises the possibility of a new agent-based theory of evolution in which organisms and their perceived environments co-construct each other in a radically innovative dialectic dynamic.

Integrating Fossils, Natural Selection & Molecular Genetics: A Structured Inquiry-Based Evolution Lab

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-162
Author(s):  
David A. Wollert
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Molecular Genetics ◽  
Gene Switches ◽  
Evolutionary Event ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Evo Devo ◽  
Fossil Data ◽  
Evolutionary And Developmental Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Role

This structured set of lab activities allows students to explore the evolution of pelvic spine reduction in stickleback fish. The exercise draws upon the field of evolutionary and developmental biology (evo-devo) and information presented in the HHMI Holiday Lecture entitled “Fossils, Genes, and Embryos.” Students analyze fossil data from a rich stickleback deposit in Nevada, documenting the evolution of pelvic spine reduction in a preserved population, and then use Hardy-Weinberg analysis to explore the role of natural selection in this type of evolutionary event. Finally, students use molecular genetics and polymerase chain reaction to uncover the evolutionary role of gene switches in pelvic spine reduction. Collectively, the lab activities explore a specific evolutionary event from the combined perspectives of fossil evidence, natural selection, and molecular genetics. The lab also serves as a good introduction to the concepts of gene switches and evo-devo.

Examining the Role of Language in Play Among Children With and Without Developmental Disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Short ◽  
Rachael Cooper Schindler ◽  
Rita Obeid ◽  
Maia M. Noeder ◽  
Laura E. Hlavaty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Play Skills ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Better Than

Purpose Play is a critical aspect of children's development, and researchers have long argued that symbolic deficits in play may be diagnostic of developmental disabilities. This study examined whether deficits in play emerge as a function of developmental disabilities and whether our perceptions of play are colored by differences in language and behavioral presentations. Method Ninety-three children participated in this study (typically developing [TD]; n = 23, developmental language disorders [DLD]; n = 24, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]; n = 26, and autism spectrum disorder [ASD]; n = 20). Children were videotaped engaging in free-play. Children's symbolic play (imagination, organization, elaboration, and comfort) was scored under conditions of both audible language and no audible language to assess diagnostic group differences in play and whether audible language impacted raters' perception of play. Results Significant differences in play were evident across diagnostic groups. The presence of language did not alter play ratings for the TD group, but differences were found among the other diagnostic groups. When language was audible, children with DLD and ASD (but not ADHD) were scored poorly on play compared to their TD peers. When language was not audible, children with DLD were perceived to play better than when language was audible. Conversely, children with ADHD showed organizational deficits when language was not available to support their play. Finally, children with ASD demonstrated poor play performance regardless of whether language was audible or not. Conclusions Language affects our understanding of play skills in some young children. Parents, researchers, and clinicians must be careful not to underestimate or overestimate play based on language presentation. Differential skills in language have the potential to unduly influence our perceptions of play for children with developmental disabilities.

Determinants of English as language choice among Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) in Makassar, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Andi Samsu Rijal ◽  
Andi Mega Januarti Putri
Keyword(s):  
Language Choice ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
The Public ◽  
International Language ◽  
Language User ◽  
Public Area ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Language Mastery

The essence of language is human activity. Communication with language is carried out through two basic human activities; speaking and listening during the interaction in a group of people. Immigrants in Makassar city communicate with immigrant communities and Makassar people. They used English and Indonesia to communicate with others. The aims of this article were to find out determinant factors of English as language choice among Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) in Makassar and why they used English as their language choice to communicate with other people out of them. The data were taken from UMC in the shelter under the auspices of Makassar’s Social Office and in the public area of Makassar. This research was a qualitative approach; it was from a sociolinguistic perspective and focuses its analysis with the language choice among UMC. This research showed that most immigrants chose English as their language choice since they were in Makassar because they have acquired better than other international language and it has been mastered naturally by doing social interaction among themselves and people outside their community. UMC had more difficulties to socialize with Indonesian than the adult of Immigrants. Other than their lack of language mastery, they also have the anxiety to adapt to other immigrants and Makassar people. English was used by UMC to show their status as a foreigner who lived in a multicultural situation. Language becomes a power for a human being and it becomes a social identity for language user in one community. During the interaction of UMC in Makassar city, the role of English as an International language is shown.

The Role of Chess in the Intellectual Development of Childrens from Primary School

2019 ◽  
pp. 58-62
Author(s):  
Vlad Stegariu ◽  
Simona Andreea Popușoi ◽  
Beatrice Abălașei ◽  
Nicolae Lucian Voinea ◽  
Ioan Stelescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Resources Allocation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
One Year ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Chess Playing

Chess playing has a significant role in participants’ resources allocation, both at a psychological level, but mostly concerning the cognitive resources. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of chess playing on the intellectual development of primary-class students. 67 children were tested using the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices and were distributed in three different groups according to their experience with chess, namely: the control group (formed by students with no experience with chess playing), the beginners group (students with less than one year in chess playing training) and the advanced group (children with more than two years experience with chess). Results indicated that chess playing had a significant effect on the SPM performance, indicating that those in the advanced group performed significantly better than those in the control or in the beginners group. Conclusions of this study tap into the benefits of playing chess with a focus on the children’s’ cognitive development.

Randomness and Complexity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven E. Vigdor
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Rna World ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Variable Theory ◽  
Cosmological Natural Selection ◽  
Einstein Podolsky Rosen ◽  
World Hypothesis ◽  
Rna World Hypothesis

Chapter 7 describes the fundamental role of randomness in quantum mechanics, in generating the first biomolecules, and in biological evolution. Experiments testing the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox have demonstrated, via Bell’s inequalities, that no local hidden variable theory can provide a viable alternative to quantum mechanics, with its fundamental randomness built in. Randomness presumably plays an equally important role in the chemical assembly of a wide array of polymer molecules to be sampled for their ability to store genetic information and self-replicate, fueling the sort of abiogenesis assumed in the RNA world hypothesis of life’s beginnings. Evidence for random mutations in biological evolution, microevolution of both bacteria and antibodies and macroevolution of the species, is briefly reviewed. The importance of natural selection in guiding the adaptation of species to changing environments is emphasized. A speculative role of cosmological natural selection for black-hole fecundity in the evolution of universes is discussed.

scholarly journals Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Pål Ketil Botvar
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
General Population ◽  
Civil Religion ◽  
Religious Nationalism ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Better Than ◽  
The Way

The Norwegian National Day (17 May, also referred to as Constitution Day) stands out as one of the most popular National Day celebrations in Europe. According to surveys, around seven out of every 10 Norwegians take part in a public celebration during this day. This means that the National Day potentially has an impact on the way people reflect upon national identity and its relationship to the Lutheran heritage. In this paper, I will focus on the role religion plays in the Norwegian National Day rituals. Researchers have described these rituals as both containing a significant religious element and being rather secularized. In this article, I discuss the extent to which the theoretical concepts civil religion and religious nationalism can help us understand the role of religion, or the absence of religion, in these rituals. Based on surveys of the general population, I analyze both indicators of civil religion and religious nationalism. The two phenomena are compared by looking at their relation to such items as patriotism, chauvinism, and xenophobia. The results show that civil religion explains participation in the National Day rituals better than religious nationalism.

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