The book integrates our understanding of the factors and processes underlying the evolution of multicellularity by providing several complementary perspectives (both theoretical and experimental) and using examples from various lineages in which multicellularity evolved. Recent years marked an increased interest in understanding how and why these transitions occurred, and data from various fields are providing new insights into the forces driving the several independent transitions to multicellular life as well as into the genetic and molecular basis for the evolution of this phenotype. The ultimate goal of this book is to facilitate the identification of general and unifying principles and mechanisms.

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to physics for undergraduate students in the life sciences, including those majoring in all branches of biology, biochemistry, and psychology and students working on pre-professional programs such as pre-medical, pre-dental, and physical therapy. The text is geared for the algebra-based physics course, often named College Physics in the United States. The order of topics studied are such that most of the problems in the text can be solved with the methods of Statics or Dynamics. That is, they require a free body diagram, the application of Newton’s Laws, and any necessary kinematics. Constructing the text with a standardized problem-solving methodology, simplifies this aspect of the course and allows students to focus on the application of physics to the study of biological systems. Along the way, students apply these techniques to find the tension in a tendon, the sedimentation rate of red blood cells in haemoglobin, the torques and forces on a bacterium employing a flagellum to propel itself through a viscous fluid, and the terminal velocity of a protein moving in a Gel Electrophoresis device. This is part one of a two-volume set; volume 2 introduces students to the conserved-quantities and applies these problem-solving techniques to topics in Thermodynamics, Electrical Circuits, Optics, and Atomic and Nuclear Physics always with continued focus on biological applications.

Cellular and Molecular Control of Neuronal Migration provides an up-to-date collection of reviews on the molecular and cellular principles of neuronal migration in the mammalian brain. Over the last decades a rich catalogue of signaling molecules controlling neuronal migration has been compiled, and within this book an international panel of experts provides up-to-date discussions of the state of knowledge how these distinct signaling pathways regulate various aspects of neuronal migration. This book introduces the reader to the latest discoveries and concepts of neuronal migration enabled through the application of most sophisticated methods and cutting edge experimental approaches. Cellular and Molecular Control of Neuronal Migration also provides an update on the underlying cellular and molecular basis of neurodevelopmental migration disorders in human patients for all interested neuroscientists and clinicians.

This comprehensive volume is the first to specifically target developing, adult and diseased neural stem cells. It explores recent advances in the understanding of neural stem cell biology along with strategies that use these cells to tackle neurological diseases and brain aging. Ten inclusive chapters discuss a wide range of topics including neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, demyelinating disease, mood regulation, and spinal cord regeneration, among others. Written by world-renowned scientists in the field, Neural Stem Cells in Development, Adulthood and Disease presents cutting-edge studies of interest to both established neurogenesis researchers and readers with general interests in nervous system science. It is an authoritative addition to the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series.

This contributed volume aims to reconsider the concept of individuation, clarifying its articulation with respect to contemporary problems in perceptual, neural, developmental, semiotic and social morphogenesis. The authors approach the ontogenetical issue by taking into account the morphogenetic process, involving the concept of individuation proposed by Gilbert Simondon and Gilles Deleuze. The target audience primarily comprises experts in the field but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students. The challenge of the genesis and constitution of "units" has always been at the center of philosophical and scientific research. This ontogenetical issue is common to every discipline but it is articulated in different ways: in phenomenology of perception the constitution of perceptual units is at the base of gestalt field theories, in theoretical neuroscience synchronized neural assemblies are considered as correlates of conscious processes, in developmental embryogenesis the constitution of organs is the principle outcome of morphodynamic evolution while in social morphogenesis the constitution of coherent units is common to segmentary, gerarchic and functional differentiation.

Defining and understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that are relevant to women's health has become a critical area of scientific pursuit. Until recently, very little effort has been place on defining or understanding critical differences between women and men that may be critical to the overall health of the woman. In 1990, the National Institutes of Health recognized this gap in knowledge resulting in the creation of the Office of Research on Women's Health. One of the purposes of this office was to advance the understanding of health issues from the women's perspective from both a basic and clinical scientific perspective. From a scientific evolution of understanding, the existence of this office is new and thus there has not been enough time for new information to integrate itself in our current scientific thought process. This book will seek to capture and disseminate our current understanding of scientific advancements relevant to women's health and provide the information to a broad audience. The purpose of this work is to discuss recent advancements in basic science across three areas of concern for women's health. In addition, the book will provide "translational" chapters that attempt to place the basic science work in context within our current understanding of the human. Although it is well acknowledge that gender differences exist across organ function which translates into differences in whole body function, until recently little effort has been made to define basic mechanisms within various tissues within the woman. This work will focus on recent scientific findings that are relevant to women's health and to provide novel and relevant information to interested scientists and clinicians.

More than two thirds of all living organisms described to date belong to the phylum Arthropoda. But their diversity, as measured in terms of species number, is also accompanied by an amazing disparity in terms of body form, developmental processes, and adaptations to every inhabitable place on Earth, from the deepest marine abysses to the earth surface and the air. The Arthropoda also include one of the most fashionable and extensively studied of all model organisms, the fruit-fly, whose name is not only linked forever to Mendelian and population genetics, but has more recently come back to centre stage as one of the most important and more extensively investigated models in developmental genetics. This approach has completely changed our appreciation of some of the most characteristic traits of arthropods as are the origin and evolution of segments, their regional and individual specialization, and the origin and evolution of the appendages. At approximately the same time as developmental genetics was eventually turning into the major agent in the birth of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), molecular phylogenetics was challenging the traditional views on arthropod phylogeny, including the relationships among the four major groups: insects, crustaceans, myriapods, and chelicerates. In the meantime, palaeontology was revealing an amazing number of extinct forms that on the one side have contributed to a radical revisitation of arthropod phylogeny, but on the other have provided evidence of a previously unexpected disparity of arthropod and arthropod-like forms that often challenge a clear-cut delimitation of the phylum.

In recent years, there have been major advances in the concepts and methodologies used in the study of retinal development at both cellular and molecular levels. These advanced methodologies have allowed and will continue to allow researchers to gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying retinal development. In Retinal Development: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the protocols used for a wide range of experiments. These include protocols and techniques for manipulating gene expression in vivo, tracing cell fates with modernized classic blastomere manipulation in Xenopus and with Cre-based technique in mouse and in zebrafish, retinal regeneration and stem cell-based replacement, and ERG (function) recording and non-invasive imaging. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Retinal Development: Methods and Protocols provides methodologies crucial to the success of increasingly more complex and often challenging investigations in the fields of retinal development and other biological and biomedical research.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically encoded, active process which results in the death of individual cells, tissues, or whole organs. PCD plays an essential role in plant development and defense, and occurs throughout a plant’s lifecycle from the death of the embryonic suspensor to leaf and floral organ senescence. In plant biology, PCD is a relatively new research area, however, as its fundamental importance is further recognized, publications in the area are beginning to increase significantly. The field currently has few foundational reference books and there is a critical need for books that summarizes recent findings in this important area. This book contains chapters written by several of the world’s leading researchers in PCD. This book will be invaluable for PhD or graduate students, or for scientists and researchers entering the field. Established researchers will also find this timely work useful as an up-to-date overview of this fascinating research area.

Bees are flying insects of the order Hymenoptera closely related to wasps and ants. The ancestors of bees are assumed to be predatory wasps, which switched to pollen consumption. Further, bees co-evolved with flowering plants and divided into several species according to climatic conditions. Widely known bees are western bees Apis mellifera, and eastern bees Apis cerana. This book sheds light on features of evolution, phylogenesis, speciation, adaptation to environment, and taxonomy of bees. It will be of particular relevance to evolutionists, geneticists, taxonomists, ecologists, population geneticist, and breeders.

Reveals the mind boggling neuroscience connecting brain, body, mind, and society, by examining a range of brain disorders, in the tradition of Oliver Sacks. Identifying what makes up the nature of the human mind has long been neuroscience's greatest challenge - a mystery perhaps never to be fully understood. Award-winning author and master of science journalism Anil Ananthaswamy smartly explores the concept of self by way of several mental conditions that alter patients' identities, showing how we learn a lot about being human from people with a fragmented or altered sense of self. He travels the world to meet those who suffer from "maladies of the self" interviewing patients, psychiatrists, philosophers and neuroscientists along the way. He charts how the self is affected by Asperger's, autism, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, schizophrenia, among many other mental conditions, revealing how the brain constructs our sense of self. Each chapter is anchored with stories of people who experience themselves differently from the norm. The Man Who Wasn't There is a magical mystery tour of scientific analysis and philosophical pondering, now utterly transformed by recent advances in cutting-edge neuroscience. ***PRAISE FOR THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE*** 'Ananthaswamy excels at making theoretical concepts and experimental procedures both comprehensible and compelling.' Science 'If you simply want to read a great science book, I can't recommend any more highly than this one.' Forbes 'A compelling and entertaining look at the last untapped mystery, the true final frontier: the nature of our selves. Science journalism at its best.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organized Mind 'An agreeably written travelogue through this mysterious landscape at the frontiers of knowledge.' The Wall Street Journal 'You'll never see yourself-or others-the same way again.' People 'Ananthaswamy's remarkable achievement is to make sense of these unhappy individuals' otherness, while holding on to their human sameness. You'll come away enlightened and chastened, asking searching questions about who you are.' Nicholas Humphrey, author of A History of the Mind 'It is an astonishing journey and an ambitious book, bringing together cutting-edge science and philosophy from West and East. You will not be quite the same self after reading it.' New Scientist

Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into all types of cells within the body, thus have great therapeutic potential for regenerative medicine to treat complicated disorders, like Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. There will also be many applications in drug development. However, several roadblocks, such as safety issues and low efficiency of pluripotent stem cell (PSC) line derivation need to be resolved before their clinical application. This thesis focuses on these two areas, so as to find methods to overcome the limitation. It covers deriving embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from several different species and reports an efficient system to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and the first iPSC mice in the world. The results in this thesis confirm that somatic cells can be fully reprogrammed with the four Yamanaka factors. In addition, we have found that the Dlk1-Dio3 region can be a potential molecular marker to distinguish the fully reprogrammed iPSCs from partially reprogrammed ones. All of these results will help improve the safety of PSCs in the clinical applications and increase the current low induction efficiency of their production.

This book will focus on the differentiation and regulation of subsets of CD4+ T cells. It will also cover other aspects of research on these cells, which has made great advances in recent years, such as subsets' plasticity and their role in healthy and disease conditions. The book provides researchers and graduate students with a cutting-edge and comprehensive overview of essential research on CD4+ T cells.

Cell migration is a key component of many biological processes including embryonic development, immune responses, wound healing, organ regeneration, and cancer cell metastasis, thus making it an exciting and crucial field of study. The aim of Cell Migration: Developmental Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is to bring together a wide range of these techniques from the more basic migration assays, which are still the foundation of many cell migration studies, to state-of-the-art techniques and recent technical advances. Divided into three convenient parts, the volume begins with a number of basic in vitro migration assays including measurements of wound healing, cell scattering, invasion, and chemotaxis, as well as more complex measurements of transendothelial migration, the use of microfluidic chambers, and imaging cell migration in 3D. It continues with procedures for the imaging and measurement of cell migration in vivo including protocols for the use of chick, drosophila, and zebrafish embryos, and methods to measure metastatic spread and angiogenesis in mice, then concludes with a vital section on emerging techniques in the cell migration field including the use of TIRF, FRAP, and FRET microscopy. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes from the experts on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Cell Migration: Developmental Methods and Protocols, Second Edition provides a comprehensive catalogue of techniques for the study of cell migration that can be used as a useful reference source for any researcher who wishes to explore this significant area of cell biology.

Developmental Juvenile Osteology was created as a core reference text to document the development of the entire human skeleton from early embryonic life to adulthood. In the period since its first publication there has been a resurgence of interest in the developing skeleton, and the second edition of Developmental Juvenile Osteology incorporates much of the key literature that has been published in the intervening time. The main core of the text persists by describing each individual component of the human skeleton from its embryological origin through to its final adult form. This systematic approach has been shown to assist the processes of both identification and age estimation and acts as a core source for the basic understanding of normal human skeletal development. In addition to this core, new sections have been added where there have been significant advances in the field.

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.

In Developmental Biology of the Sea Urchin and Other Marine Invertebrates: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now used to study sea urchins and other marine invertebrates in the laboratory. These include methods and protocols on imaging, other useful experimental tools for cell, developmental biology research, variety of molecular biological methods, and strategies for utilizing the sea urchin genome. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Developmental Biology of the Sea Urchin and other Marine Invertebrates: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study into sea urchins and other marine invertebrates.

This updated, streamlined, generously illustrated Fifth Edition of the classic text combines comparative vertebrate anatomy and embryology into one easy reference source. Provides an overview of vertebrate evolution, a preview of vertebrate embryology, six chapters on vertebrate development, and then goes through each organ system from both a morphogenesis and comparative anatomy standpoint. Also includes extensive discussions of vertebrate evolution, a large section on developmental preliminaries, an extensive glossary and a new bibliography.

Since their discovery in 1869, the dictyostelids have attracted the attention of scientists in a wide variety of fields. This interest has stemmed from their peculiar lifestyle and developmental properties, which were shaped by the evolutionary forces that generated multicellularity during eukaryotic evolution. More recently, the dictyostelids have gained attention due to the striking similarities found at the genomic, cellular and biochemical levels with human cells, which has propelled the species Dictyostelium discoideum to become a model system for biology and medicine in many laboratories. This book covers the latest advances in our knowledge of these extraordinary organisms with topics spanning from their evolutionary history, ecology and diversity to the recent discoveries regarding their cellular and molecular biology.

The annual Evolutionary Biology Meetings in Marseilles serve to gather leading scientists, promote the exchange of ideas and encourage the formation of international collaborations. This book contains the most essential contributions presented at the 14th Evolutionary Biology Meeting, which took place in September 2010. It comprises 19 chapters organized according to the following categories: * Evolutionary Biology Concepts * Biodiversity and Evolution * Macroevolution * Genome Evolution Offering an up-to-date overview of recent results in the field of evolutionary biology, this book is an invaluable source of information for scientists, teachers and advanced students.

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of bone is a relatively recent research field. The research community is steadily growing, with interdisciplinary branches in acoustics, medical imaging, biomechanics, biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, bone biology and clinical sciences, resulting in significant achievements in new ultrasound technologies to measure bone, as well as models to elucidate the interaction and the propagation of ultrasonic wave in complex bone structures. Hundreds of articles published in specialists journals are accessible from the Web and from electronic libraries. However, no compilation and synthesis of the most recent and significant research exist. The only book on QUS of bone has been published in 1999 at a time when the propagation mechanisms of ultrasound in bone were still largely unknown and the technology was immature. The research community has now reached a critical size, special sessions are organized in major international meetings (e.g., at the World Congress of Biomechanics, the annual meetings of the Acoustical Society of America, International Bone Densitometry Workshop, etc...). Consequently, the time has come for a completely up to date, comprehensive review of the topic. The book will offer the most recent experimental results and theoretical concepts developed so far and is intended for researchers, graduate or undergraduate students, engineers, and clinicians who are involved in the field. The central part of the book covers the physics of ultrasound propagation in bone. Our goal is to give the reader an extensive view of the mathematical and numerical models as an aid to understand the QUS potential and the types of variables that can be determined by QUS in order to characterize bone strength. The propagation of sound in bone is still subject of intensive research. Different models have been proposed (for example, the Biot theory of poroelasticity and the theory of scattering have been used to describe wave propagation in cancellous bone, whereas propagation in cortical bone falls in the scope of guided waves theories). An extensive review of the models has not been published so far. We intend in this book to present in details the models that are used to solve the direct problem and strategies that are currently developed to address the inverse problem. This will include analytical theories and numerical approaches that have grown exponentially in recent years. Most recent experimental findings and technological developments will also be comprehensively reviewed.

This book collects articles on the biology of hematopoietic stem cells during embryonic development, reporting on fly, fish, avian and mammalian models. The text invites a comparative overview of hematopoietic stem cell generation in the different classes, emphasizing conserved trends in development. The book reviews current knowledge on human hematopoietic development and discusses recent breakthroughs of relevance to both researchers and clinicians.

This book investigates the various processes that are affected by the age of an organism. Several new tools for the analysis of biological aging have been introduced recently, and this volume provides methods and protocols for these new techniques in addition to its coverage of established procedures. Researchers seeking new technology and techniques will find this volume of tremendous benefit as they move towards new directions.

The annual Evolutionary Biology Meetings in Marseilles serve to gather leading evolutionary biologists and other scientists using evolutionary biology concepts, e.g. for medical research. The aims of these meetings are to promote the exchange of ideas and to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. This book collects 19 selected contributions presented at the 15th meeting, which took place in September 2011. It starts with a description of the life and work of J.B.S. Haldane, a remarkable evolutionary biologist of the 20th century. The remaining chapters are grouped under the following three themes: * New Concepts in Evolutionary Biology * Macroevolution: Mechanisms and Trends * Genome Evolution Offering an up-to-date overview of recent results in the field of evolutionary biology, this book is an invaluable source of information for scientists, teachers and advanced students.

The annual Evolutionary Biology Meetings in Marseille aim to bring together leading scientists, promoting an exchange of state-of-the-art knowledge and the formation of inter-group collaborations. This book presents the most representative contributions to the 13th meeting, which was held in September 2009. It comprises 21 chapters, which are organized into the following three categories: * Evolutionary Biology Concepts * Genome/Molecular Evolution * Morphological Evolution/Speciation This book offers an up-to-date overview of evolutionary biology concepts and their use in the biology of the 21st century.