This book provides an interdisciplinary review of one of the great unsolved mysteries that has fascinated scientists for over 150 years: the origin of chirality in biomolecules. Current advances in fields as diverse as space exploration, prebiotic chemistry and high-energy physics may help to provide an answer. Important pieces of information will come from observations at the two frontiers of science: outer space and the subatomic world. Observation of distant planets, galaxies, and even actual sampling of celestial objects from beyond the solar system are projects currently underway. At the other end of the spectrum, there are experiments that study the elemental properties of matter, such as symmetry, and interactions with the fundamental forces. Completely revised and updated this new edition once again unifies all the theories of the origin of biomolecular homochirality together in a single source. This complete, interdisciplinary review of an intriguing subject condenses a large and disparate range of contributions from journals in almost every scientific field. The various theories have been organized, interrelated and explained in a unified way. It is fundamental, comprehensive and structured to be accessible for educational purposes.

Today, developmental and evolutionary biologists are focusing renewed attention on the developmental process - those genetic and cellular factors which influence variation in individual body shape or metabolism. They are attempting to understand better how evolutionary trends and patterns within individuals might be limited and controlled. In this book the author reviews the classical literature on embryology, morphogenesis, and palaeontology, and presents recent genetic and molecular studies on development. The result is a new perspective on a set of problems of fundamental importance to developmental and evolutionary biologists. Readership: developmental and evolutionary biologists.

Each generation in a sexually reproducing organism such as a fly or a mouse passes through the bottleneck of meiosis, which is the specialized cell division that gives rise to haploid reproductive cells (sperm, eggs, spores, etc. ). The principal function of meiosis is to reduce the genome complement by half, which is accomplished through sequential execution of one round of DNA replication followed by two rounds of chromosome segregation. Within the extended prophase between DNA replication and the first meiotic division in most organisms, homologous maternal and paternal chromosomes pair with one another and undergo homologous recombination, which establishes physical connections that link the homologous chromosomes until the time they are separated at anaphase I. Recombination also serves to increase genetic diversity from one generation to the next by breaking up linkage groups. The unique chromosome dynamics of meiosis have fascinated scientists for well over a century, but in recent years there has been an explosion of new information about how meiotic chromosomes pair, recombine, and are segregated. Progress has been driven by advances in three main areas: (1) genetic identification of meiosis-defective mutants and cloning of the genes involved; (2) development of direct physical assays for DNA intermediates and products of recombination; and (3) increasingly sophisticated cy- logical methods that describe chromosome behaviors and the spatial and temporal patterns by which specific proteins associate with meiotic chromosomes.

One hundred years after Darwin considered how sexual selection shapes the behavioral and morphological characteristics of males for acquiring mates, Parker realized that sexual selection continues after mating through sperm competition. Because females often mate with multiple males before producing offspring, selection favors adaptations that allow males to preempt sperm from previous males and to prevent their own sperm from preemption by future males. Since the 1970s, this area of research has seen exponential growth, and biologists now recognize sperm competition as an evolutionary force that drives such adaptations as mate guarding, genital morphology, and ejaculate chemistry across all animal taxa. The insects have been critical to this research, and they still offer the greatest potential to reveal fully the evolutionary consequences of sperm competition.

This book analyzes and extends thirty years of theoretical and empirical work on insect sperm competition. It considers both male and female interests in sperm utilization and the sexual conflict that can arise when these differ. It covers the mechanics of sperm transfer and utilization, morphology, physiology, and behavior. Sperm competition is shown to have dramatic effects on adaptation in the context of reproduction as well as far-reaching ramifications on life-history evolution and speciation.

Written by a top researcher in the field, this comprehensive, up-to-date review of the evolutionary causes and consequences of sperm competition in the insects will prove an invaluable reference for students and established researchers in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology.

This book introduces readers to the fascinating interaction of specialized gamete cells, forming the early embryo and a blueprint of new life. Readers will gain a thorough understanding of the complex physiological events and mechanical processes - such as ionic regulation, metabolism and intracellular signalling - to decipher cause and effect in fertilization. Wide-ranging in its approach, this book describes fertilization as a highly conserved mechanism throughout the animal kingdom, taking case studies from echinoderms, ascidians, amphibians and mammals through to other phyla. An excellent companion to undergraduate and postgraduate students of medicine, veterinary and biological sciences, this text provides an underpinning of the mechanisms of fertilization that inform assisted reproduction practice and research in medicine and agriculture. It explores the detailed phases before fertilization: the oocyte as a quiescent cell, attracting its partner gamete, followed by a cascade of pre-determined physiological events, to form the dynamic zygote cell; setting the scene for the early embryo, and beyond.

Knochenfische, Amphibien und Reptilien besitzen in ausgedehntem Masse extracutane Pigmentierungen. Bei diesen niederen Vertebraten kommen Pigment zellen nicht nur in der Epidermis und reich ausgebildet im Corium vor, sondern auch an vielen Organen des Koerperinneren, in teilweise weiter Ausdehnung. So sind die Dura mater und die Leptomeninx, das parietale Peritonaeum und die Mesenterien, Gefasse undN erven, der Darm und die Keimdrusen, dasfettspeichernde Bindegewebe, das Periost und das Knochenmark mit Chromatophoren versehen, und zwar in jeweils spezifischer Auswahl der pigmentierten Strukturen bei der einzelnen Art. Bei den Voegeln und besonders bei den Saugern sind extracutane Pigmentierungen selten, nur vereinzelt sind Chromatophoren an inneren Organen zu finden, und ausgedehnte Pigmentierungen wie bei niederen Wirbeltieren sind ganz selten. Diese Verhaltnisse waren den alten Autoren zum Teil bekannt, in alten und neueren vergleichend-anatomischen Werken sind Angaben uber die Pigmentierung einzelner Organe verstreut (LEYDIG, 1857; HoFFMANN, 1890; EcKER-GAUPP, 1899 und 1904; HARDER, 1964). In den zahlreichen und eingehenden Arbeiten uber die Chromatophoren der Haut, uber die Entwicklung der Pigmentzellen und uber ihre Biologie finden sich, ebenso wie in manchen speziellen anatomischen Publikationen, gelegentlich An gaben uber extracutane Pigmentzellen, mitunter ist auch eine Abbildung bei gefugt (ZENNECK, 1894; BOLK, 1910; WERNER, 1911; FUCHS, 1914; FlSCHEL, 1920; BIEDERMANN, 1926, 1928a und b; BALLOWITZ, 1931; THUMANN, 1931; HALLER voN HALLERSTEIN, 1934; ScHALTENBRAND, 1955; RAWLES, 1960; FIORONI, 1961; SoKOLOV, 1962; STARCK, 1964; PEHLEMANN, 1967 a).

HOWARD C. TAYLOR, JR. Medicine, through its long history, has continually striven to enlarge its scope. Success in these endeavors has come in sudden bursts with long intervals of relative quiescence between. As a result of the spectacular discoveries in the basic sciences during the last decades, medicine is again in a period of revolutionary advance in many fields. One of these is the subject of this report, "The Intrauterine Patient." Until recently the fetus signalized his presence only by the mother's enlarging abdomen and by his own movements, perceived by the preg- nant woman herself and evident to the examining midwife and physician. Later, the sounds of the fetal heart heard by auscultation and the varia- tions in its rate became the single important means by which the welfare of the fetus might be roughly determined and threats to his survival per- haps detected. Otherwise, the fetus remained isolated, his condition unknown and any therapy consequent on diagnosis, except for the induc- tion or termination of labor, nonexistent.

Recapitulating The Stem Cell Niche Ex Vivo, Volume Six in the Advances in Stem Cells and their Niches series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on a variety of topics, including Recapitulating the bone marrow stem cell niche ex vivo, The generation of the liver ex vivo, Recapitulating the thymic stem cell niche ex vivo, Recapitulating the intestinal epithelium stem cell niche ex vivo, Recapitulating the lung stem cell niche in vitro, Recapitulating mammary tissue in vitro, and Recapitulating muscle in vitro.

This book comprehensively summarizes the biological mechanisms of coloration and pattern formation of animals at molecular and cellular level, offering up-to-date knowledge derived from remarkable progress in the last 10 years. The brilliant coloration, conspicuous patterns and spectacular color changes displayed by some vertebrates and invertebrates are generally their strategies of the utmost importance for survival. Consists of mainly three parts, starts with introductory chapter, such as Pigments and Pigment Organelles, Developmental Genetics of Pigment Cell Formation, Adult Pigment Patterns, and Color Changes, this book introduces new pigment compounds in addition to classically known pigments and organelles, explains how the generation of multiple types of pigment cell is genetically controlled, describes the mechanisms underlying the zebrafish stripe formation as well as other animals and also summarizes the mechanism of physiological and morphological color changes of teleost, amphibian and cephalopod. Written by experts in the field, this book will be essential reading for graduate students and researchers in biological fields who are interested in pigmentation mechanisms of animals.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfangen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen fur die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfugung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden mussen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfangen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen fur die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfugung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden mussen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.

Dieser Buchtitel ist Teil des Digitalisierungsprojekts Springer Book Archives mit Publikationen, die seit den Anfangen des Verlags von 1842 erschienen sind. Der Verlag stellt mit diesem Archiv Quellen fur die historische wie auch die disziplingeschichtliche Forschung zur Verfugung, die jeweils im historischen Kontext betrachtet werden mussen. Dieser Titel erschien in der Zeit vor 1945 und wird daher in seiner zeittypischen politisch-ideologischen Ausrichtung vom Verlag nicht beworben.