If you had a complete copy of a dinosaur's DNA and the genetic code, you still would not be able to make a dinosaur--or even determine what one looked like. Why? How do animals get their shape and how does shape evolve? In this important book, Nobel laureate Gerald M. Edelman challenges the notion that an understanding of the genetic code and of cell differentiation is sufficient to answer these questions. Rather, he argues, a trio of related issues must also be investigated--the development of form, the evolution of form, and the morphological and functional bases of behavior. "Topobiology" presents an introduction to molecular embryology and describes a comprehensive hypothesis to account for the evolution and development of animal form.

All students and researchers of behaviour - from those observing freely-behaving animals in the field to those conducting more controlled laboratory studies - face the problem of deciding what exactly to measure. Without a scientific framework on which to base them, however, such decisions are often unsystematic and inconsistent. Providing a clear and defined starting point for any behavioural study, this is the first book to make available a set of principles for how to study the organisation of behaviour and, in turn, for how to use those insights to select what to measure. The authors provide enough theory to allow the reader to understand the derivation of the principles, and draw on numerous examples to demonstrate clearly how the principles can be applied. By providing a systematic framework for selecting what behaviour to measure, the book lays the foundations for a more scientific approach for the study of behaviour.

A fascinating and detailed examination of the evolution-and occasional devolution-of sexuality in microorganisms and more complex forms of life. Margulis and Sagan trace sex from its inauspicious beginnings in bacteria threatened by ultraviolet radiation to its intimate relation with the origin of mitotic division of nucleated cells. The origin of meiotic sex through cannibalism followed by centriole reproductive tardiness and the connection of cell symbiosis to sex and differentiation are explored. "The authors have not only given us a new and exiting scenario for the evolution of sex, but have also provided us with critical ways in which we can test their hypotheses. . . . This is a stimulating book that is sure to invoke criticism and discussion; I strongly recommend it."-Symbiosis "The book is well organized and well written, leading the reader from one thought to another almost effortlessly. Background information is presented to aid those of us who are not experts in this field, and a glossary is appended. The book could be used at all levels of study, from interested undergraduates in general biology though postdoctoral students of genetics and evolution. I recommend this thought-provoking book to you for both your enjoyment and your enlightenment."-Richard W. Cheney, Jr., Journal of College Science Teaching "This book, undoubtedly controversial, is a thoughtful and original contribution to an important aspect of cellular biology."-John Langridge

This volume consists of 82 classic and important contributions to the basic neurobiology of learning and memory. Included are historical articles as well as articles on developmental plasticity, hormones and memory, long-term potentiation, electrophysiology of memory, biochemistry of memory, morphology of memory, invertebrate models, and features of animal and human memory. This is a companion volume to Brain Theory Reprint Volume in which articles on mathematical models of memory are presented.

This volume consists of 82 classic and important contributions to the basic neurobiology of learning and memory. Included are historical articles as well as articles on developmental plasticity, hormones and memory, long-term potentiation, electrophysiology of memory, biochemistry of memory, morphology of memory, invertebrate models, and features of animal and human memory. This is a companion volume to Brain Theory Reprint Volume in which articles on mathematical models of memory are presented.

How did life start? Is the evolution of life describable by any physics-like laws? Stuart Kauffman's latest book offers an explanation-beyond what the laws of physics can explain-of the progression from a complex chemical environment to molecular reproduction, metabolism and to early protocells, and further evolution to what we recognize as life. Among the estimated one hundred billion solar systems in the known universe, evolving life is surely abundant. That evolution is a process of "becoming" in each case. Since Newton, we have turned to physics to assess reality. But physics alone cannot tell us where we came from, how we arrived, and why our world has evolved past the point of unicellular organisms to an extremely complex biosphere. Building on concepts from his work as a complex systems researcher at the Santa Fe Institute, Kauffman focuses in particular on the idea of cells constructing themselves and introduces concepts such as "constraint closure." Living systems are defined by the concept of "organization" which has not been focused on in enough in previous works. Cells are autopoetic systems that build themselves: they literally construct their own constraints on the release of energy into a few degrees of freedom that constitutes the very thermodynamic work by which they build their own self creating constraints. Living cells are "machines" that construct and assemble their own working parts. The emergence of such systems-the origin of life problem-was probably a spontaneous phase transition to self-reproduction in complex enough prebiotic systems. The resulting protocells were capable of Darwin's heritable variation, hence open-ended evolution by natural selection. Evolution propagates this burgeoning organization. Evolving living creatures, by existing, create new niches into which yet further new creatures can emerge. If life is abundant in the universe, this self-constructing, propagating, exploding diversity takes us beyond physics to biospheres everywhere.

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.

Female and male brains are different, thanks to hormones coursing through the brain before birth. That s taught as fact in psychology textbooks, academic journals, and bestselling books. And these hardwired differences explain everything from sexual orientation to gender identity, to why there aren t more women physicists or more stay-at-home dads.

In this compelling book, Rebecca Jordan-Young takes on the evidence that sex differences are hardwired into the brain. Analyzing virtually all published research that supports the claims of human brain organization theory, Jordan-Young reveals how often these studies fail the standards of science. Even if careful researchers point out the limits of their own studies, other researchers and journalists can easily ignore them because brain organization theory just sounds so right. But if a series of methodological weaknesses, questionable assumptions, inconsistent definitions, and enormous gaps between ambiguous findings and grand conclusions have accumulated through the years, then science isn t scientific at all.

Elegantly written, this book argues passionately that the analysis of gender differences deserves far more rigorous, biologically sophisticated science. The evidence for hormonal sex differentiation of the human brain better resembles a hodge-podge pile than a solid structure Once we have cleared the rubble, we can begin to build newer, more scientific stories about human development.

The first thing children ask about sex is typically, "Where do babies come from?" This, the most perplexing scientific question of all time, was hailed by the ancient Greeks as "the mystery of mysteries". Throughout history the most intelligent and well-educated men and women have struggled to understand how we reproduce, and the full picture is far from complete. In the mid-17th century, a theory of reproduction - preformation - sparked a heated debate that continued for over 100 years. Preformation proposed that miniature creatures waiting to be born existed inside each potential parent much like a Russian nesting doll. It was thought that God placed these beings during Creation and predetermined the precise moment that each would unfold and exist. In "The Ovary of Eve", Clara Pinto-Correia traces the history of this much-maligned theory, ultimately revealing its critical influence on the modern view of conception. Opinion on preformation was sharply divided. "Ovists" believed that preformed individuals existed in the egg, but "spermists" argued that the locus of perfection before birth was in the sperm. This controversy ranged beyond the narrow confines of biology. Most scholars were reluctant to allow perfection to women. After all, these debates occurred in a culture which held women responsible for the Fall and original sin and which saw women as imperfect or incomplete males. Yet spermism entailed a moral dilemma, - why would God allow millions of preformed individuals to die with each ejaculate? Pinto-Correia recounts this controversy in all its complexity, revealing the religious, cultural and social climate of the day. Acknowledging that several modern authors have presented preformation as little more than an entertaining interlude in the study of reproduction, Pinto-Correia nonetheless seeks to recast preformation as an important theory with a precious legacy. Her book shows that the basic tenets understood by the old preformationists are still a crucial part of developmental biology and effect such state-of-the art techniques as cloning.

In this authoritative three-volume reference work, leading researchers bring together current work to provide a comprehensive analysis of the comparative morphology, development, evolution, and functional biology of the skull.

In this authoritative three-volume reference work, leading researchers bring together current work to provide a comprehensive analysis of the comparative morphology, development, evolution, and functional biology of the skull.

This book presents the latest developments in medicine and biology. Chapters include research on environmental risk factors for diabetic nephropathy; pre-endoscopic management of patients with hematemesis; the benefits of early diagnosis, halo fixation and/or ventral stabilization of dens-fractures in correspondence to age of the patient and fracture type; a discussion on how and to which extent heart rate variability (HRV) is acutely changed in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or in hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS); an evaluation of the anatomical, refractive and functional results of an innovative technique of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty; the physical, emotional and quality of life aspects of patients with Cervical Dystonia; the current issues in medical literature regarding androgen use during menopause; an overall report on the benefits and limitations of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) mass spectrometry (MS) analysis; the classification methods of the X-ray cerebral angiograms; and the diagnosis and management of intraoperatively necrotizing fasciitis of the breast.

This book presents the latest developments in medicine and biology. Chapters include research on trends in the birth prevalence of boys with isolated hypospadias and undescended testis in Hungary during the last 50 years; alleviating premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms using a natural factor; neutralization-enhancing RF antibodies; advances in the diagnosis, assessment, management and outcome of Takayasu's arteritis; macronutrients and premenstrual syndrome; pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC); the control of MAO expression; and what we know about iMAO.

Cell division is a highly co-ordinated process by which the living organisms grow, develop and reproduce. This book presents original research results on the leading edge of cell division research. Each article has been carefully selected in an attempt to present substantial research results across a broad spectrum.

The book provides a comprehensive overview of classic and modern approaches of centrosome research, including new aspects of centrosome functions focusing on primary cilia and their implications in numerous diseases. In addition, several chapters raise awareness of centrosomes in areas that have not yet fully considered the centrosome as an organelle that impacts other organelle functions directly or indirectly. It further relates centrosome functions to other research areas such as aging and stem cell research. Since its discovery almost 150 years ago the centrosome is increasingly being recognized as a most impactful organelle for its role, not only as primary microtubule organizing center (MTOC) but also as a major communication center for signal transduction pathways and as a center for proteolytic activities. Its significance for cell cycle regulation has been well studied and we now also know that centrosome dysfunctions are implicated in numerous diseases and disorders including cancer, cystic diseases of the kidney, liver fibrosis, cardiac defects, obesity and several other diseases and disorders. This new volume reviews the latest advances in the field and provides valuable background information that is readily understandable for the newcomer and the experienced centrosome researcher alike. Due to the interdisciplinary of the subject, it is a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians working in biomedical research, cell biology, cancer biology, reproduction and developmental biology, neuroscience and stem cell research.

This Second Edition of Plankton is a fully updated introduction to the biology, ecology and identification of plankton and their use in monitoring water quality. It includes expanded, illustrated descriptions of all major groups of freshwater, coastal and marine phytoplankton and zooplankton and a new chapter on teaching science using plankton. Best practice methods for plankton sampling and monitoring programs are presented using case studies, along with explanations of how to analyse and interpret sampling data. Healthy waterways and oceans are essential for our increasingly urbanised world. Yet monitoring water quality in aquatic environments is a challenge, as it varies from hour to hour due to stormwater and currents. Being at the base of the aquatic food web and present in huge numbers, plankton are strongly influenced by changes in environment and provide an indication of water quality integrated over days and weeks. Plankton are the aquatic version of a canary in a coal mine. They are also vital for our existence, providing not only food for fish, seabirds, seals and sharks, but producing oxygen, cycling nutrients, processing pollutants, and removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. This new edition: contains a new chapter on Plankton in the Classroom has greatly expanded coverage of coastal and marine phytoplankton explains the role of plankton in aquatic ecosystems and its usefulness as a water quality indicator updates and details best practice in methodology for plankton sampling and monitoring programs brings together widely-scattered information on freshwater and coastal phytoplankton and zooplankton and provides a list of up-to-date references. Plankton is an invaluable reference for teachers and students, environmental managers, ecologists, estuary and catchment management committees, and coastal engineers.

Why do the best-known examples of evolutionary change involve the alteration of one kind of animal into another very similar one, like the evolution of a bigger beak in a bird? Wouldn't it be much more interesting to understand how beaks originated? Most people would agree, but until recently we didn't know much about such origins. That is now changing, with the growth of the interdisciplinary field evo-devo, which deals with the relationship between how embryos develop in the short term and how they (and the adults they grow into) evolve in the long term. One of the key questions is: can the origins of structures such as beaks, eyes, and shells be explained within a Darwinian framework? The answer seems to be yes, but only by expanding that framework. This book discusses the required expansion, and the current state of play regarding our understanding of evolutionary and developmental origins.

Although books exist on the evolution of aging, this is the first book written from the perspective of again as an adaptive program. It offers an insight into the implications of research on aging genetics, The author proposes the Demographic Theory of Senescence, whereby aging has been affirmatively selected because it levels the death rate over time helping stabilize population dynamics and prevent extinctions.