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MORTAL SOMA. “In the Weismannian view, “individuals” are large aggregations of physically connected, genetically identical somatic cells that carry a genetic payload sequestered in the germ line. Somatic cells, and thus individuals, are mortal, whereas cells in the germ line are potentially immortal.” https://standardsingenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-016-0180-8 View in LinkedIn

SEPARATING GROWTH. “In multi-cellular eukaryotes, a distinction is made between growth—cell divisions that simply result in an increase in size of an individual; and reproduction—cell divisions and fusions that result in the creation of a single, genetically novel cell, the zygote, that will be the founding cell for a new individual). https://standardsingenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-016-0180-8 View in LinkedIn

TERRA INFIRMA. “None of these foundational notions of classical biology can be applied to the biology of prokaryotes. Furthermore, compared with multi-cellular eukaryotes, prokaryotes operate in a spatio-temporal context that is quantitatively so different as to be almost qualitatively incommensurate.” https://lnkd.in/ewnQ9Vg View in LinkedIn

ASSUMPTIONS OF CLASSICAL BIOLOGY. “(a) individual organisms are objectively real, fundamental units of the biosphere, (b) within cells, the content of the genome is extremely stable, protected, and highly regulated, (c) barring mutation, genetic novelty is acquired only during reproduction, largely as the result of recombinations generated during sexual reproduction, (d) all life can be organized into similarly defined species, and (e) with perfect knowledge, the biosphere could be arranged into one true, unified tree of life.” https://standardsingenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-016-0180-8 View in LinkedIn

PROMISCUOUS GENE SHARING. “Horizontal gene transfer among prokaryotes can occur between members of the same “species” as well as between microbes separated by vast taxonomic distances. As such, much prokaryotic genetic diversity is both created and sustained by high levels of horizontal gene transfer. Although horizontal gene transfer can occur for genes in the core-genome component of a pan-genome, it occurs much more frequently among genes in the optional, flex-genome component.” https://lnkd.in/ewnQ9Vg View in LinkedIn

PEAR THINKING. “Most profound is the demonstration that many fundamental notions in classical biology in fact only apply to the multi-cellular eukaryotes realm.” https://standardsingenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-016-0180-8 View in LinkedIn

NON-REPRODUCTIVE GENE SHARING. “Horizontal gene transfer can lead to the profound phenotypic change from benign commensal to lethal pathogen. “Horizontal” in this context refers to the lateral or “sideways” movement of genes between microbes via mechanisms not directly associated with reproduction.” Normally, gene sharing in other kingdoms is exclusively about reproduction. https://lnkd.in/ewnQ9Vg View in LinkedIn

DAZZLING AVATARS REVEALED. “Being intractable to research, prokaryotic life became a kind of biological dark matter—life forms known to be present and abundant, but whose properties and behavior could not be assessed. The analogy to cosmological dark matter is obvious. Now, the emergence of metagenomic analytical methods has rendered visible this heretofore hidden half of the biosphere—at least as genomic avatars. The results are dazzling.” https://standardsingenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-016-0180-8 View in LinkedIn

SIGNALS OF EMOTION. “The orbicularis oris is a complex sphincter that functions in conjunction with the muscles of facial expression. The orbicularis oris circles around the upper and lower lips and compresses, contracts and protrudes the lips. The gamut of emotions and actions can be expressed with this sphincter muscle.” Mona Lisa lives. https://lnkd.in/dRMaFi5 View in LinkedIn

FUNCTIONAL QUESTION. “The orbicularis-oris-muscle-complex...one of the most complex muscles in the human face.” https://lnkd.in/dy_Wee2 View in LinkedIn