scholarly journals La logica dell'evoluzione dei viventi : spunti di riflessione. Atti del XII convegno del gruppo italiano di biologia evoluzionistica: Firenze, 18-21 febbraio 2004

2006 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Molecular Biologist ◽  
Evolutionary Theories ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Biology Group

This book is a collection of the works submitted at the twelfth meeting of the Italian evolutionary biology group, held in Florence in February 2004. The evolutionary theories are treated in a balanced manner, from various points of view (those of the historian, the zoologist, the palaeontologist, the anthropologist and the molecular biologist) in the light of various recent discoveries of both an experimental and theoretical nature. The debate and the diversity of the approaches demonstrate the validity and topicality of the study of biological evolution.

The Making and Development of E. N. Mirzoyan’s Evolutionary Concept (In Commemoration of the 90 th Anniversary of His Birth)

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 544
Author(s):  
Marianna Kozlova
Keyword(s):  
General Theory ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Morphology ◽  
Living Matter ◽  
Evolutionary Physiology ◽  
Evolutionary Theories ◽  
Physiology And Biochemistry ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of

A renowned biologist and historian of science Eduard Nikolaevich Mirzoyan would have turned 90 in April 2021. The author of over 200 publications, including 15 monographs, on the history of evolutionary morphology, evolutionary histology, evolutionary physiology and biochemistry, and evolutionary and global ecology, he was also exploring the problem of how ontogenesis and phylogenesis are related to the theoretical aspects of evolutionary biology. As a result of a long-time creative pursuit, Mirzoyan developed his own outlook on biological evolution, captured mostly in his personal archive. Analyzing the 20 th century evolutionary synthesis strategies, Mirzoyan formulated his own evolutionary concept and put forward an idea that the 21 st century evolutionists must concentrate their efforts on constructing a general theory of the living matter evolution instead of the evolutionary theories that prevailed in the 20 th century and focused on explaining the formation of species. This article is devoted to the analysis of Mizoyan’s evolutionary views.

On the construction of the concept ‘language’: Entrenched Conceptual Integration Networks Encountered in Evolutionary Biology and Studies of Language Evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn M Frank
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Emergent Structure ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory

<p>In recent years the relationship between language change and biological evolution has captured the attention of investigators operating in different disciplines, particularly evolutionary biology, AI and A-Life (Zeimke 2001, Hull 2001), as well as linguistics (Croft 2000; Sinha 1999), with each group often bringing radically different conceptualizations of the object under study, namely, “language” itself, to the debate.&nbsp;Over the centuries, meanings associated with the expression “language” have been influenced by mappings of conceptual frames and inputs from the biological sciences onto the entity referred to as “language”. At the same time the prestige of the “science of linguistics” created a feedback mechanism by which the referentiality of “language”, at each stage, was mapped back into the field of evolutionary biology along with the emergent structure(s) of the resulting “blend”. While significant energy has been spent on identifying ways in which biological evolution has been linked to concepts of language evolution (Dörries 2002), little attention has been directed to the nature of the conceptual integration networks that have been produced in the process. This paper examines the way conceptual integration theory can be brought to bear on the “blends” that have been created, focusing primarily on examples drawn from 19th century debates concerning the “language-species-organism analogy” in the emerging field of comparative-historical philology.</p><p>In recent years the relationship between language change and biological evolution has captured the attention of investigators operating in different disciplines, particularly evolutionary biology, AI and A-Life (Zeimke 2001, Hull 2001), as well as linguistics (Croft 2000; Sinha 1999), with each group often bringing radically different conceptualizations of the object under study, namely, “language” itself, to the debate. Over the centuries, meanings associated with the expression “language” have been influenced by mappings of conceptual frames and inputs from the biological sciences onto the entity referred to as “language”. At the same time the prestige of the “science of linguistics” created a feedback mechanism by which the referentiality of “language”, at each stage, was mapped back into the field of evolutionary biology along with the emergent structure(s) of the resulting “blend”. While significant energy has been spent on identifying ways in which biological evolution has been linked to concepts of language evolution (Dörries 2002), little attention has been directed to the nature of the conceptual integration networks that have been produced in the process. This paper examines the way conceptual integration theory can be brought to bear on the “blends” that have been created, focusing primarily on examples drawn from 19th century debates concerning the “language-species-organism analogy” in the emerging field of comparative-historical philology. The document includes Supplemental Materials: Resource Guide and Commentaries.</p>

scholarly journals A Concept Map of Evolutionary Biology to Promote Meaningful Learning in Biology

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
María José Apodaca ◽  
Joseph D. McInerney ◽  
Osvaldo E. Sala ◽  
Liliana Katinas ◽  
Jorge V. Crisci
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Concept Map ◽  
Cognitive Structure ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Meaningful Learning ◽  
Evolutionary Context ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
The Subject

Is it possible to teach biology without mentioning evolution? The answer is yes, but it is not possible for students to understand biology without the evolutionary context on which the meaning and intellectual value of biological concepts depend. Meaningful learning of evolution requires (1) that the students incorporate new knowledge into a cognitive structure linked with higher-order concepts; (2) a well-organized knowledge structure; and (3) a positive emotional attachment and identification (affective commitment) to the subject by the learner. Concept maps are useful tools in meaningful learning. We present a concept map that organizes concepts of history of life and the processes that generate it, and the hierarchical relationships among them. Biological evolution is a compelling account of life on Earth and of human origins. It constitutes a unifying explanatory framework that can generate a powerful affective commitment to the subject. The concept map provided here is tied to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Towards a unified science of cultural evolution

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Mesoudi ◽  
Andrew Whiten ◽  
Kevin N. Laland
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Cultural Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Good Match ◽  
Social Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
The Social

We suggest that human culture exhibits key Darwinian evolutionary properties, and argue that the structure of a science of cultural evolution should share fundamental features with the structure of the science of biological evolution. This latter claim is tested by outlining the methods and approaches employed by the principal subdisciplines of evolutionary biology and assessing whether there is an existing or potential corresponding approach to the study of cultural evolution. Existing approaches within anthropology and archaeology demonstrate a good match with the macroevolutionary methods of systematics, paleobiology, and biogeography, whereas mathematical models derived from population genetics have been successfully developed to study cultural microevolution. Much potential exists for experimental simulations and field studies of cultural microevolution, where there are opportunities to borrow further methods and hypotheses from biology. Potential also exists for the cultural equivalent of molecular genetics in “social cognitive neuroscience,” although many fundamental issues have yet to be resolved. It is argued that studying culture within a unifying evolutionary framework has the potential to integrate a number of separate disciplines within the social sciences.

Biological evolution

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Briggs ◽  
Hans Halvorson ◽  
Andrew Steane
Keyword(s):  
Design Education ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Living Things ◽  
History Of ◽  
Informed Opinion ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
Insight Into

The chapter discusses the history of life on Earth, and the lessons to be learned from the neo-Darwinian synthesis of evolutionary biology. The long and complex sequence of events in the evolutionary history of life on Earth requires considered interpretation. The neo-Darwinian synthesis is well-supported by evidence and gives rich insight into this process, but does not itself furnish a complete explanation or understanding of living things. This is because a process of exploration can only explore; it cannot fully dictate and can only partially constrain what type of thing will be found. What is found is constrained by other considerations, such as what is possible, and what can make sense. A brief critique of some of Richard Dawkins’ work is given, and also of the movement known as ‘Intelligent Design’. Education policy is well served by a fair appraisal of informed opinion in this area.

On the Compatibility of Evolutionary Biology and Theism

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
John Lemos
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Christian Belief ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Creation Story ◽  
The Image Of God

Human beings are the products of many thousands of years of biological evolution, and this process occurs in accordance with the principles of natural selection originally articulated and defended by Charles Darwin and developed and defended further in the modern synthesis of the 20th century.  In this paper, I consider how it may be thought that this fact threatens the rationality of belief in the Christian God.  These threats are countenanced with respect to issues of design, randomness, suffering, and the objectivity of ethics.  I argue that while some versions of Christian belief, such as those grounded in a literalist reading of the Genesis creation story or those committed to the image of God thesis, may be threatened by a Darwinian worldview, there are nonetheless plausible versions of Christian belief that are immune to Darwinian challenges.

MACROTHERMODYNAMICS OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION: AGING OF LIVING BEINGS

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (06) ◽  
pp. 801-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
GEORGI P. GLADYSHEV
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Thermodynamic Theory ◽  
Physicochemical Model ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Biological Matter ◽  
The Law ◽  
Living Organisms

The author sets forth general considerations pertaining to the thermodynamic theory of biological evolution and the aging of living organisms. It becomes much easier to comprehend the phenomenon of life scrutinizing the formation of structural hierarchies of biological matter applying different temporal scales. These scales are 'identified' by nature itself, and this is reflected in the law of temporal hierarchies. The author discusses some misunderstandings in thermodynamics and evolutionary biology. A simple physicochemical model of biological evolution and the development of living beings is proposed. The considered theory makes it possible to use physicochemical evaluations to develop effective anti-aging diets.

Comments to paper by S. Rattan: applying hormesis in aging research and therapy — a perspective from evolutionary biology

2001 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 305-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hercus ◽  
V Loeschcke'
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Evolutionary Theories ◽  
Theories Of Aging ◽  
The Impact

The phenomenon of hormesis is discussed from an evolutionary biology perspective, i.e. in a context of fitness. Some of the evolutionary theories of aging are outlined. The influence of associations between traits and their environmental specificity is highlighted. Questions about consistency of the impact of hormetic agents across life stages are raised and finally the uniformity of definitions across disciplines is shortly discussed.

scholarly journals The late ascent of Darwin's Descent: exploring human evolution and women's role for a new China, 1927–1965

BJHS Themes ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Lijing Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Theories ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Chinese Intellectuals ◽  
Women's Role ◽  
Descent Of Man

Abstract Darwin's ideas held sway among Chinese intellectuals by the early twentieth century. Yet the usual emphasis was a Spencerism instead of Darwin's original ideas. As a result, translations of The Descent of Man in the early twentieth century quickly fell into oblivion. When the embryologist Zhu Xi (1900–62) eventually decided to give all evolutionary theories a comprehensive examination, he nevertheless found the idea of sexual evolution inadequate, as expressed in his volume Biological Evolution (1958). Only in the 1950s did serious efforts to translate Descent gather momentum, thanks to eugenicist and sociologist Pan Guangdan (1899–1967). Such efforts were not only responses to a renewed interest in Darwinism under the socialist regime, but also expressions that synthesized both scholars’ earlier paths in wrestling with schemes of human evolution and the roles of women in China's survival and renewal. Trained in different scientific and cultural milieus and holding almost oppositional views, the two scholars nevertheless converged in finding new meanings in Darwin's Descent.

scholarly journals A EVOLUÇÃO BIOLÓGICA NA PERSPECTIVA DE ESTUDANTES DO CURSO DE CIÊNCIAS BIOLÓGICAS DA UNIVERSIDADE FEEVALE

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Cristiane Borba Luckmann ◽  
Natalia Aparecida Soares
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Cultural Conflicts ◽  
National Education

A evolução biológica é amplamente mencionada nos documentos norteadores da educação nacional, inclusive sendo citada como eixo unificador dos conteúdos de Ciências Naturais. No entanto, observaram-se em investigações científicas que ainda são latentes as barreiras epistemológicas e didáticas para o ensino de evolução. Diante deste cenário, buscou-se, através deste estudo, analisar as concepções e saberes científicos de estudantes do curso de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Feevale acerca da evolução biológica, seleção natural e diversidade de espécies, identificando as principais influências formadoras dessas opiniões, realizando uma análise comparativa entre as concepções de ingressantes e egressos do curso, com o objetivo de verificar a construção do conhecimento científico na graduação. Como metodologia, optou-se por uma abordagem quanti-qualitativa exploratória, através da coleta de dados com o uso de questionários semiestruturados, adaptados de pesquisas recentes. O grupo analisado foi composto por 39 estudantes, sendo 15 ingressantes e 24 egressos, a maioria bacharel (60%). Através dessa pesquisa, constatou-se que os estudantes apresentam entendimento incipiente acerca da temática, com concepções errôneas de evolução biológica e seleção natural. Os resultados, de forma geral, demonstraram que os alunos compreendem a Biologia Evolutiva como um conjunto de processos que permitem a melhoria e/ou aprimoramento de características anatômicas e fisiológicas dos organismos vivos. Observou-se, ainda, que as concepções sobre a teoria evolucionista são influenciadas pelos preceitos religiosos dos estudantes, onde há constante dicotomia entre ciência e religião e diretamente ligados ao ensino deficiente da temática na educação básica. Considera-se pertinente o fomento de discussões sobre a história da ciência e suas contribuições diretas para o desenvolvimento da sociedade contemporânea, acredita-se que este debate possa corroborar para amenizar alguns conflitos culturais apresentados por alguns estudantes que entendem a evolução como oposta às suas convicções pessoais.Palavras-chave: Biologia evolutiva. Ensino de ciências naturais. Concepções. Ensino superior. Ciências biológicas.ABSTRACTBiological evolution is widely mentioned in guiding documents of the national education, including being cited as unifying axis of the contents of the Natural Sciences. However, it was observed in scientific investigations they are still latent the barriers epistemological and didactic for the teaching of evolution. In this scenario, we sought through this study to analyze the conceptions and scientific knowledge of students in the course of Biological Sciences of Feevale University about biological evolution, natural selection and species diversity, identifying the main forming influences of these opinions, performing a comparative analysis between the conceptions of beginners and graduates of the course, with the objective of verifying the construction of scientific knowledge in the graduation. As a methodology we chose a exploratory quantitative-qualitative approach, through the collection of data with the use of structured questionnaires, adapted from recent searches. The analyzed group was composed of 39 students, being 15 beginners and 24 graduates, the majority bachelor (60%). Through this research, we found that the students have an incipient knowledge about the theme, with misconceptions of biological evolution and natural selection. The results, in general, have demonstrated that students understand the Evolutionary Biology as a set of processes that allow the improvement and/or enhancement of anatomical and physiological characteristics of living organisms It was also observed that the conceptions of evolutionary theory are influenced by religious precepts of students, where there is constant dichotomy between science and religion and are directly related to a deficiency at the teaching this topic in basic education. It is pertinent the promotion of discussions on the history of science and its direct contributions to the development of contemporary society, it is believed that this debate can corroborate to alleviate some cultural conflicts presented by some students who understand the evolution as opposition to their personal convictions.Keywords: Evolutionary biology. Teaching of natural sciences. Conceptions. Higher education. Biological sciences.

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