Category: Uncategorized

BOX OF PARTS. "In his book The Descent of Man, first published in 1871, Darwin listed a large number of human “parts in a rudimentary condition”, being body structures that are either “absolutely useless” or “they are of such slight service” owing to the fact that the conditions under which they evolved no longer exist." https://lnkd.in/dxYb-Qh View in LinkedIn

"THE FOREST OF ARDEN simultaneously was a very special place, fancifully mixed with exotic and incredible features. Is the Forest of Arden identical with Nature?" (Arden, from Archadia, the Greek mythological earthly paradise, and from Eden, a contrast to corrupted courtly or city life). https://lnkd.in/dNa6zAM View in LinkedIn

NOT PERFECT. "Now I am in Arden, the more fool I. When I was at home, I was in a better place, but travellers must be content." (Touchstone to Rosalind, in As You Like It, by WS). https://lnkd.in/dDMTAPP View in LinkedIn

THE GUIDE. "Touchstone puts all things and every person in the play, including himself, to the comic test. Entering Arden with Touchstone you cannot go astray or mistake the wood for the trees." https://lnkd.in/dDMTAPP View in LinkedIn

AVOIDING THE PALE MISFEATURED SHADOW. "It is as though Shakespeare, setting out for Arden, where so many excellent poets have lost themselves in affected sentiment, mislaid their common sense in refining on their sensibility, and, in their self-conscious pursuit of nature, found themselves grasping a pale misfeatured shadow, had determined in advance to take with them a guide who should keep him in the path of sanity." (As You Like It, WS). https://lnkd.in/dDMTAPP View in LinkedIn

THE COMIC TEST. "The character of Touchstone in Shakespeare's As You Like It, described as "a wise fool who acts as a kind of guide or point of reference throughout the play, putting everyone, including himself, to the comic test"." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchstone_(metaphor) View in LinkedIn

THE TOUCHSTONE QUOTATION. "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution". Theodosius Dobzhansky (geneticist). It may be just a piece of the puzzle, but it is the best we have just now. https://lnkd.in/dfRbEgj View in LinkedIn

JUMPING GENES, or "TEs are found in most life forms, and the scientific community is still exploring their evolution and their effect on genome evolution. It is unclear whether TEs originated in the last universal common ancestor, arose independently multiple times, or arose once and then spread to other kingdoms by horizontal gene transfer. While some TEs confer benefits on their hosts, most are regarded as selfish DNA parasites. In this way, they are similar to viruses. Various viruses and TEs also share features in their genome structures and biochemical abilities, leading to speculation that they share a common ancestor." https://lnkd.in/eD65ESw View in LinkedIn

THE COPIOUSLY BRANCHING BUSH. "Life is a copiously branching bush, continually pruned by the grim reaper of extinction, not a ladder of predictable progress." (Stephen J Gould). A brilliant summary that has endured. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_Progress View in LinkedIn

TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS (TEs) "have been identified in all organisms, prokaryotic and eukaryotic, and can occupy a high proportion of a species’ genome. For example, transposable elements comprise approximately 10% of several fish species, 12 % of the C. elegans genome, 37% of the mouse genome, 45% of the human genome, and up to >80% of the genome of some plants like maize. From bacteria to humans, transposable elements have accumulated over time and continue to shape genomes through their mobilization." https://lnkd.in/eKngvkU View in LinkedIn