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Father Bill Miller appreciates both spirits and the Holy Spirit. As
an Episcopal priest and the owner of Padre's bar in Marfa, Texas,
he understands that spiritual lessons can be drawn from everyday
living as well as the finer things in life-a smoky Scotch, a robust
Zinfandel, PBR in a can. Father Bill believes that being upright
does not mean you have to be uptight. In The Beer Drinker's Guide
to God, he brews up insightful, beautifully written reflections on
how alcoholic beverages can reveal the true nature of God. He
weaves together stories from his life in ministry, his travels in
search of the world's best Scotch, his attempts at brewing his own
beer, and colorful evenings in his Texan bar. He also reflects on
the lessons he's learned from roller derby, playboy bunnies, Las
Vegas, and his attempts to marry Miss Universe, all while writing
about generosity, sacrifice, pilgrimage, and spiritual
transformation. From the deeply touching to the laugh-out-loud
funny, these stories ultimately open our minds to the glory of God
and our mouths to some of his more delicious creations.The Beer
Drinker's Guide to God is a smart, earnest, hilarious book for
those thirsty for God's truth.
It is widely acknowledged that life has adapted to its environment,
but the precise mechanism remains unknown since Natural Selection,
Descent with Modification and Survival of the Fittest are metaphors
that cannot be scientifically tested. In this unique text,
invertebrate and vertebrate biologists illuminate the effects of
physiologic stress on epigenetic responses in the process of
evolutionary adaptation from unicellular organisms to invertebrates
and vertebrates, respectively. This book offers a novel perspective
on the mechanisms underlying evolution. Capacities for morphologic
alterations and epigenetic adaptations subject to environmental
stresses are demonstrated in both unicellular and multicellular
organisms. Furthermore, the underlying cellular-molecular
mechanisms that mediate stress for adaptation will be elucidated
wherever possible. These include examples of 'reverse evolution' by
Professor Guex for Ammonites and for mammals by Professor Torday
and Dr. Miller. This provides empiric evidence that the
conventional way of thinking about evolution as unidirectional is
incorrect, leaving open the possibility that it is determined by
cell-cell interactions, not sexual selection and reproductive
strategy. Rather, the process of evolution can be productively
traced through the conservation of an identifiable set of First
Principles of Physiology that began with the unicellular form and
have been consistently maintained, as reflected by the return to
the unicellular state over the course of the life cycle.
It is widely acknowledged that life has adapted to its environment,
but the precise mechanism remains unknown since Natural Selection,
Descent with Modification and Survival of the Fittest are metaphors
that cannot be scientifically tested. In this unique text,
invertebrate and vertebrate biologists illuminate the effects of
physiologic stress on epigenetic responses in the process of
evolutionary adaptation from unicellular organisms to invertebrates
and vertebrates, respectively. This book offers a novel perspective
on the mechanisms underlying evolution. Capacities for morphologic
alterations and epigenetic adaptations subject to environmental
stresses are demonstrated in both unicellular and multicellular
organisms. Furthermore, the underlying cellular-molecular
mechanisms that mediate stress for adaptation will be elucidated
wherever possible. These include examples of 'reverse evolution' by
Professor Guex for Ammonites and for mammals by Professor Torday
and Dr. Miller. This provides empiric evidence that the
conventional way of thinking about evolution as unidirectional is
incorrect, leaving open the possibility that it is determined by
cell-cell interactions, not sexual selection and reproductive
strategy. Rather, the process of evolution can be productively
traced through the conservation of an identifiable set of First
Principles of Physiology that began with the unicellular form and
have been consistently maintained, as reflected by the return to
the unicellular state over the course of the life cycle.
For as long as humans have been on Earth, we have looked up to the
stars for clues to our own existence. Medical doctor and
evolutionary biologist William B. Miller, Jr. suggests that we may
find more meaningful solutions at the end of a microscope rather
than a telescope. Using powerful analogies and exacting science,
Bioverse explores the wonders of the perpetual partnership between
our personal cells and the microbial world, resulting in an
entirely new view of our living planet. To understand life in all
its varieties, we must undertake to understand our cells. While the
partnership between our cells and our microbes has largely been
thought of as that of "host" and "guest," Miller reveals the true
partnership under which both our microbial fraction and our own
personal cells conduct a life-long dialogue, redefining our
traditional conceptions of intelligence and problem-solving. This
radical new approach explains exactly how our human choices are
centered within the same cellular rules that enable our cells to
seamlessly sustain our lives. We are now entering the "Era of the
Cell," a time in history during which medical and scientific
innovations have spurred growth far beyond ever imagined by our
ancestors. For the first time, we are not only building machines to
enhance our lives but engineering living organisms to assist our
futures. From the biological origins of evolution to the invention
of the compound microscope by a Dutch lens maker in the 17th
century, to new research that reveals surprising links between our
microbiome and our moods and behavior, and surprising stories of
the cellular world from the deepest oceans, wildest jungles, and
outer reaches of our solar system, Miller introduces readers to a
greater understanding of our impact on the planet and the world's
reciprocal impact on each of us. By exploring the extent of our
deeply integrated cellular world, Bioverse provides profound
insights about ourselves, our health and well-being, our social
systems, and our permanent relationship to the planet and the
cosmos.
Understanding how simple molecules have given rise to the complex
biochemical systems and processes of contemporary biology is widely
regarded as one of chemistry's great unsolved questions. There are
numerous theories as to the origins of life, the majority of which
draw on the idea that DNA and nucleic acids are the central dogma
of biology. The Singularity of Nature: A Convergence of Biology,
Chemistry and Physics takes a systems-based approach to the origin
and evolution of complex life. Readers will gain a novel
understanding of physiologic evolution and the limits to our
current understanding: why biology remains descriptive and
non-predictive, as well as offering new opportunities for
understanding relationships between physics and biology in the
origins of biological life at the cellular-molecular level.
You are not what you think you are. New research is transforming
how we understand ourselves-from a singular 'self' to a vast
cooperative, co-dependent and collaborative network of cellular
environments and ecologies-a microcosm within. From this unique
perspective, a startling revision of evolutionary theory unfurls.
Sharply reasoned and certain to be controversial, The Microcosm
Within takes its readers on a sweeping scientific journey that
reorganizes our thinking about our biological selves, evolution,
and extinction. Darwin has dominated evolution for over a century.
But many issues remain puzzling-What is the origin of
self-sacrifice? Does natural selection really account for
evolution? Why is homosexuality commonplace in the animal kingdom?
Why were the arms of Tyrannosaurus Rex so small? Why do some
species go extinct yet others endure? The Microcosm Within offers
intriguing and profound answers by exploring our extraordinary
world of cellular consciousness, connections, and collaboration.
Current research has unexpectedly revealed that all cells and
microbes have elemental cognition and a previously unappreciated
capacity for discrimination and awareness. From these faculties,
cooperative natural genetic engineering is enabled; and it is from
this starting point that biological complexity evolves. The
Microcosm Within illuminates how immunological factors dominate
evolution and extinction. Biology and evolutionary theory will
never be the same. PRAISE FOR THE MICROCOSM WITHIN "The Microcosm
Within is exemplary of the burgeoning new concepts in Evolution
Theory that eschew Darwinism. It offers an alternative way of
thinking about why life formed on Earth that is consistent with
modern science. By focusing on our newly acquired knowledge about
our symbiotic relationships with bacteria and viruses, it
encourages us to transition from Darwin's combative perspective to
a much deeper and informed interrelationship between life forms.
His perspective will ultimately give rise to a truly New Synthesis
based on our origins as species." --Dr. John S. Torday, Professor
of Pediatrics and Ob/Gyn, Harbor-UCLA Co-author, Evolutionary
Biology, Cell-Cell Communication and Complex Disease Founding
member, Evolutionary Medicine Program, UCLA
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