Category: Uncategorized

DEEP INTERDEPENDENCE. “Simply stated, a system is a collection of objects that somehow interrelate with each other to function as a whole and produce some effect that no single object within the system could do on its own. The configuration of a system’s parts can be physical, logical or statistical.” https://lnkd.in/gA5rxGc View in LinkedIn

DEVELOPMENTAL BIAS. “Cichlid fishes in Lake Malawi are more closely related to other cichlids in Lake Malawi than to those in Lake Tanganyika, but species in both lakes have strikingly similar body shapes. In each case, some fish have large fleshy lips, others protruding foreheads, and still others short, robust lower jaws.” http://www.nature.com/news/does-evolutionary-theory-need-a-rethink-1.16080 View in LinkedIn

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION. “In our view, this concept — developmental bias — helps to explain how organisms adapt to their environments and diversify into many different species.” https://lnkd.in/gninbRv View in LinkedIn

NON-RANDOM VARIATION. “For example, among one group of centipedes, each of the more than 1,000 species has an odd number of leg-bearing segments, because of the mechanisms of segment development.” http://www.nature.com/news/does-evolutionary-theory-need-a-rethink-1.16080 View in LinkedIn

GENE-CENTRIC ISSUE. “Particularly thorny is the observation that much variation is not random because developmental processes generate certain forms more readily than others.” https://lnkd.in/gninbRv View in LinkedIn

GENE-CENTRICITY. “Missing pieces include how physical development influences the generation of variation (developmental bias); how the environment directly shapes organisms’ traits (plasticity); how organisms modify environments (niche construction); and how organisms transmit more than genes across generations (extra-genetic inheritance). For Standard Evolutionary Theory, these phenomena are just outcomes of evolution. For the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis, they are also causes.” http://www.nature.com/news/does-evolutionary-theory-need-a-rethink-1.16080 View in LinkedIn

CORE OBJECTION. “In our view, this ‘gene-centric’ focus fails to capture the full gamut of processes that direct evolution.” http://www.nature.com/news/does-evolutionary-theory-need-a-rethink-1.16080 View in LinkedIn

STANDARD EVOLUTIONARY THEORY (SET). "New variation arises through random genetic mutation; inheritance occurs through DNA; and natural selection is the sole cause of adaptation, the process by which organisms become well-suited to their environments. In this view, the complexity of biological development — the changes that occur as an organism grows and ages — are of secondary, even minor, importance.” http://www.nature.com/news/does-evolutionary-theory-need-a-rethink-1.16080 View in LinkedIn

CHANGE HURTS. “Does evolutionary theory need a rethink? Researchers are divided over what processes should be considered fundamental." "YES, URGENTLY — Kevin Laland and colleagues." "NO, ALL IS WELL — Gregory A. Wray, Hopi E. Hoekstra and colleagues.” https://lnkd.in/gninbRv View in LinkedIn

CHANGE RESISTERS. “Yet the mere mention of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis often evokes an emotional, even hostile, reaction among evolutionary biologists. Too often, vital discussions descend into acrimony, with accusations of muddle or misrepresentation. Perhaps haunted by the spectre of intelligent design, evolutionary biologists wish to show a united front to those hostile to science.” https://lnkd.in/gninbRv View in LinkedIn