Naomi E. Chayen, John R. Helliwell, and Edward H. Snell
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199213252
- eISBN:
- 9780191707575
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213252.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Crystallography
Structural crystallography provides key information to understand the mechanism involved for biological processes. The technique requires high‐quality crystals. The book Macromolecular ...
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Structural crystallography provides key information to understand the mechanism involved for biological processes. The technique requires high‐quality crystals. The book Macromolecular crystallization and crystal perfection covers the techniques to get these high quality crystals and then obtain the best structural data from them. We focus on two areas, the crystal and the diffraction experiment. We briefly address crystallization theory and then focus on practical crystallization strategies discussing screening and optimization. Where high quality crystals are not initially obtained, remediation strategies and alternative approaches are discussed. Diffraction is covered from both the X‐ray and neutron viewpoint. A physical analysis of long and short‐range order is used to explain features seen in the diffraction pattern and the causes of those features. Diffraction disorders are discussed. Factors that cause degradation to the diffraction and strategies to mitigate those factors are addressed. We then address beamline and detector optimization as a means to improve the data quality. Crystallization is still a largely empirical process and our final chapters focus on the use of powder methods, where crystals are small, complementary techniques where we have no crystals at all and what the future holds with the advent of fourth generation X‐ray sources. Overall the book is aimed at both more experienced researchers and graduate students. We aim for it to become a reference work for all researchers in these interdisciplinary subjects on these topics.Less
Structural crystallography provides key information to understand the mechanism involved for biological processes. The technique requires high‐quality crystals. The book Macromolecular crystallization and crystal perfection covers the techniques to get these high quality crystals and then obtain the best structural data from them. We focus on two areas, the crystal and the diffraction experiment. We briefly address crystallization theory and then focus on practical crystallization strategies discussing screening and optimization. Where high quality crystals are not initially obtained, remediation strategies and alternative approaches are discussed. Diffraction is covered from both the X‐ray and neutron viewpoint. A physical analysis of long and short‐range order is used to explain features seen in the diffraction pattern and the causes of those features. Diffraction disorders are discussed. Factors that cause degradation to the diffraction and strategies to mitigate those factors are addressed. We then address beamline and detector optimization as a means to improve the data quality. Crystallization is still a largely empirical process and our final chapters focus on the use of powder methods, where crystals are small, complementary techniques where we have no crystals at all and what the future holds with the advent of fourth generation X‐ray sources. Overall the book is aimed at both more experienced researchers and graduate students. We aim for it to become a reference work for all researchers in these interdisciplinary subjects on these topics.
R. Walter Heinrichs
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195122190
- eISBN:
- 9780199865482
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195122190.001.0001
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience
This book evaluates the progress of schizophrenia science by summarizing what is known about how patients with the illness differ from healthy people. The tools of meta-analysis are first explained ...
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This book evaluates the progress of schizophrenia science by summarizing what is known about how patients with the illness differ from healthy people. The tools of meta-analysis are first explained and then employed to make the strength and consistency of these differences explicit. Beginning with the study of symptoms, then moving through the search for objective disease markers, findings on the cognitive functions, structure, physiology, chemistry, and development of the brain, this book is a journey into the enigma of madness and its science. Schizophrenia emerges as an illness that reveals itself most strongly in thought processes, not biology. Schizophrenia is an anomaly at the frontier of mind and brain, and this book points the way to its solution.Less
This book evaluates the progress of schizophrenia science by summarizing what is known about how patients with the illness differ from healthy people. The tools of meta-analysis are first explained and then employed to make the strength and consistency of these differences explicit. Beginning with the study of symptoms, then moving through the search for objective disease markers, findings on the cognitive functions, structure, physiology, chemistry, and development of the brain, this book is a journey into the enigma of madness and its science. Schizophrenia emerges as an illness that reveals itself most strongly in thought processes, not biology. Schizophrenia is an anomaly at the frontier of mind and brain, and this book points the way to its solution.
C. N. Hinshelwood
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198570257
- eISBN:
- 9780191717659
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570257.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Condensed Matter Physics / Materials
This book is by C. N. Hinshelwood, the distinguished author and Nobel Laureate (1956). Physical chemistry is a difficult and diversified subject. Based on the experience of university teaching, this ...
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This book is by C. N. Hinshelwood, the distinguished author and Nobel Laureate (1956). Physical chemistry is a difficult and diversified subject. Based on the experience of university teaching, this book lays emphasis on the structure and continuity of the whole subject and tries to show the relation of its various parts to one another. Certain themes run through physical chemistry and these have been used to unify the composition. The treatment is neither historical nor formally deductive, but at each stage the author tries to indicate the route by which an inquiring mind might most simply and naturally proceed in order to understand physical chemistry.Less
This book is by C. N. Hinshelwood, the distinguished author and Nobel Laureate (1956). Physical chemistry is a difficult and diversified subject. Based on the experience of university teaching, this book lays emphasis on the structure and continuity of the whole subject and tries to show the relation of its various parts to one another. Certain themes run through physical chemistry and these have been used to unify the composition. The treatment is neither historical nor formally deductive, but at each stage the author tries to indicate the route by which an inquiring mind might most simply and naturally proceed in order to understand physical chemistry.
Mark S. Morrisson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306965
- eISBN:
- 9780199785414
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306965.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses how the close relationship between Theosophical theories of matter and the new atomic science led Theosophists to launch a decades-long research program of “clairvoyant ...
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This chapter discusses how the close relationship between Theosophical theories of matter and the new atomic science led Theosophists to launch a decades-long research program of “clairvoyant chemistry” in 1895. This research continued in the 20th century and has even occupied contemporary scientists in chemistry and physics.Less
This chapter discusses how the close relationship between Theosophical theories of matter and the new atomic science led Theosophists to launch a decades-long research program of “clairvoyant chemistry” in 1895. This research continued in the 20th century and has even occupied contemporary scientists in chemistry and physics.
Mark S. Morrisson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306965
- eISBN:
- 9780199785414
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306965.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter describes a “transmutational gold rush” which happened between 1904 and the 1920s. Academic chemists, working in an alchemy revival, attempted to transmute elements, even to make gold. ...
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This chapter describes a “transmutational gold rush” which happened between 1904 and the 1920s. Academic chemists, working in an alchemy revival, attempted to transmute elements, even to make gold. By the 1920s, these blendings of atomic science and occult alchemy begin to affect other domains of knowledge, particularly economics and monetary policy, eventually inspiring concerns about the gold standard in the 1920s and 1930s.Less
This chapter describes a “transmutational gold rush” which happened between 1904 and the 1920s. Academic chemists, working in an alchemy revival, attempted to transmute elements, even to make gold. By the 1920s, these blendings of atomic science and occult alchemy begin to affect other domains of knowledge, particularly economics and monetary policy, eventually inspiring concerns about the gold standard in the 1920s and 1930s.
Mark Morrisson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306965
- eISBN:
- 9780199785414
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306965.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
While many alchemists were intelligent and well-intentioned thinkers, their experiments are usually regarded as failed wizardry rather than scientific investigation. The alchemists' extreme goals ...
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While many alchemists were intelligent and well-intentioned thinkers, their experiments are usually regarded as failed wizardry rather than scientific investigation. The alchemists' extreme goals faded with the rise of scientific pursuits. It has been rarely noted, however, that the birth of atomic science coincided with an efflorescence of occultism and alchemical tropes that attached deep significance to questions about the nature of matter and energy. This book explores this brief revival of scientific interest in alchemy and its surprising connections to the emerging subatomic sciences of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It shows that a resurfacing of occult circles and alchemical tropes had a traceable impact upon the science of the day. It reveals unexpected interactions between science and the occult, such as the Alchemical Society in London (1912-1915), the research program of “clairvoyant chemistry”, and the attempts of academic chemists, inspired by the alchemy revival, to transmute the elements — even to make gold. The author's research uncovers the surprising story of how this alchemical revival influenced, and was in turn profoundly shaped by, conceptions of matter emerging from the new science of radioactivity. Examining scientists' publications, correspondence, talks, and laboratory notebooks as well as the writings of occultists, alchemical tomes, and science fiction stories, the book argues that as modern nuclear physics was born, the trajectories of science and occultism — usually seen as antithetical — briefly converged.Less
While many alchemists were intelligent and well-intentioned thinkers, their experiments are usually regarded as failed wizardry rather than scientific investigation. The alchemists' extreme goals faded with the rise of scientific pursuits. It has been rarely noted, however, that the birth of atomic science coincided with an efflorescence of occultism and alchemical tropes that attached deep significance to questions about the nature of matter and energy. This book explores this brief revival of scientific interest in alchemy and its surprising connections to the emerging subatomic sciences of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It shows that a resurfacing of occult circles and alchemical tropes had a traceable impact upon the science of the day. It reveals unexpected interactions between science and the occult, such as the Alchemical Society in London (1912-1915), the research program of “clairvoyant chemistry”, and the attempts of academic chemists, inspired by the alchemy revival, to transmute the elements — even to make gold. The author's research uncovers the surprising story of how this alchemical revival influenced, and was in turn profoundly shaped by, conceptions of matter emerging from the new science of radioactivity. Examining scientists' publications, correspondence, talks, and laboratory notebooks as well as the writings of occultists, alchemical tomes, and science fiction stories, the book argues that as modern nuclear physics was born, the trajectories of science and occultism — usually seen as antithetical — briefly converged.
Mark S. Morrisson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306965
- eISBN:
- 9780199785414
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306965.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses alchemy in the 20th century. The connection of alchemy to atomic science persisted in occult alchemy circles during the 20th century and into the 21st century. Its move into ...
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This chapter discusses alchemy in the 20th century. The connection of alchemy to atomic science persisted in occult alchemy circles during the 20th century and into the 21st century. Its move into the realms of psychoanalysis and brain chemistry suggests that its ability to destabilize boundaries between religion and science — and even between the sciences — remains alive and well.Less
This chapter discusses alchemy in the 20th century. The connection of alchemy to atomic science persisted in occult alchemy circles during the 20th century and into the 21st century. Its move into the realms of psychoanalysis and brain chemistry suggests that its ability to destabilize boundaries between religion and science — and even between the sciences — remains alive and well.
W. H. Brock
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199215300
- eISBN:
- 9780191706929
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199215300.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Priestley's observations and experiments enabled others to interpret nature in a new way. This chapter reviews these observations and experiments covering electrostatics, optics, pneumatic chemistry, ...
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Priestley's observations and experiments enabled others to interpret nature in a new way. This chapter reviews these observations and experiments covering electrostatics, optics, pneumatic chemistry, and photosynthesis. It then considers the ways recent historians have interpreted Priestley's scientific activities in the context of his theological, educational, and political activities. Finally, the chapter re-examines the question of Priestley's attitude towards Lavoisier and his continuing support for a phlogistic world view.Less
Priestley's observations and experiments enabled others to interpret nature in a new way. This chapter reviews these observations and experiments covering electrostatics, optics, pneumatic chemistry, and photosynthesis. It then considers the ways recent historians have interpreted Priestley's scientific activities in the context of his theological, educational, and political activities. Finally, the chapter re-examines the question of Priestley's attitude towards Lavoisier and his continuing support for a phlogistic world view.
Gautam Desiraju and Thomas Steiner
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198509707
- eISBN:
- 9780191708206
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198509707.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Crystallography
The weak hydrogen bond, also known as non-conventional hydrogen bond, has been the subject of intense scrutiny over recent years in several fields, in particular structural chemistry, structural ...
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The weak hydrogen bond, also known as non-conventional hydrogen bond, has been the subject of intense scrutiny over recent years in several fields, in particular structural chemistry, structural biology, and the pharmaceutical sciences. Today, there is a large body of experimental and theoretical evidence confirming that hydrogen bonds like C-H···O, N-H···π, C-H···π and even bonds like O-H··· metal play distinctive roles in molecular recognition, guiding molecular association, and in determining molecular and supramolecular architectures. The relevant compound classes include organometallic complexes, organic and bio-organic systems, as well as DNA and proteins.Less
The weak hydrogen bond, also known as non-conventional hydrogen bond, has been the subject of intense scrutiny over recent years in several fields, in particular structural chemistry, structural biology, and the pharmaceutical sciences. Today, there is a large body of experimental and theoretical evidence confirming that hydrogen bonds like C-H···O, N-H···π, C-H···π and even bonds like O-H··· metal play distinctive roles in molecular recognition, guiding molecular association, and in determining molecular and supramolecular architectures. The relevant compound classes include organometallic complexes, organic and bio-organic systems, as well as DNA and proteins.
Angelo Gavezzotti
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198570806
- eISBN:
- 9780191718779
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570806.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Atomic, Laser, and Optical Physics
Intermolecular interactions stem from the electric properties of atoms. Being the cause of molecular aggregation, intermolecular forces are at the roots of chemistry and are the fabric of the world. ...
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Intermolecular interactions stem from the electric properties of atoms. Being the cause of molecular aggregation, intermolecular forces are at the roots of chemistry and are the fabric of the world. They are responsible for the structure and properties of all condensed bodies — the human body, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the drugs we take, the paper on which this book is printed. In the last forty years or so, theoretical and experimental research in this area has struggled to establish correlations between the structure of the constituent molecules, the structure of the resulting condensed phase, and the observable properties of any material. As in all scientific enterprise, the steps to follow are analysis, classification, and prediction, while the final goal is control; which in this case means the deliberate design of materials with specified properties. This last step requires a synthesis and substantial command of the three preceding steps. This book provides a brief but accurate summary of all the basic ideas, theories, methods, and conspicuous results of structure analysis and molecular modelling of the condensed phases of organic compounds: quantum chemistry, the intermolecular potential, force field and molecular dynamics methods, structural correlation, and thermodynamics. The book also exposes the present status of studies in the analysis, categorisation, prediction, and control, at a molecular level, of intermolecular interactions in liquids, solutions, mesophases, and crystals. The main focus here is on the links between energies, structures, and chemical or physical properties.Less
Intermolecular interactions stem from the electric properties of atoms. Being the cause of molecular aggregation, intermolecular forces are at the roots of chemistry and are the fabric of the world. They are responsible for the structure and properties of all condensed bodies — the human body, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the drugs we take, the paper on which this book is printed. In the last forty years or so, theoretical and experimental research in this area has struggled to establish correlations between the structure of the constituent molecules, the structure of the resulting condensed phase, and the observable properties of any material. As in all scientific enterprise, the steps to follow are analysis, classification, and prediction, while the final goal is control; which in this case means the deliberate design of materials with specified properties. This last step requires a synthesis and substantial command of the three preceding steps. This book provides a brief but accurate summary of all the basic ideas, theories, methods, and conspicuous results of structure analysis and molecular modelling of the condensed phases of organic compounds: quantum chemistry, the intermolecular potential, force field and molecular dynamics methods, structural correlation, and thermodynamics. The book also exposes the present status of studies in the analysis, categorisation, prediction, and control, at a molecular level, of intermolecular interactions in liquids, solutions, mesophases, and crystals. The main focus here is on the links between energies, structures, and chemical or physical properties.
GAUTAM R. DESIRAJU and THOMAS STEINER
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198509707
- eISBN:
- 9780191708206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198509707.003.0006
- Subject:
- Physics, Crystallography
The weak hydrogen bond was first identified in 1935, but it was only in the early 1990s that it really permeated into the consciousness of chemists and biologists. It only seems natural that this ...
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The weak hydrogen bond was first identified in 1935, but it was only in the early 1990s that it really permeated into the consciousness of chemists and biologists. It only seems natural that this interaction was explored first using spectroscopy, followed by crystallography. In structural supramolecular chemistry, a crystal structure is often not the result of hierarchic interaction preferences but a convolution of a large number of strong and weak interactions, each of which affect the rest intimately. Methods for codification of crystal structures must take this into account if they are to be accurate and useful. Of course, the goal of a subject like crystal engineering is to design systems where the interaction preferences are hierarchic, or in other words where the interaction interference is at a minimum. However, most crystal structures are not so predictable and the challenge posed by weak hydrogen bonding effects to the dogma of crystal engineering remains a real one.Less
The weak hydrogen bond was first identified in 1935, but it was only in the early 1990s that it really permeated into the consciousness of chemists and biologists. It only seems natural that this interaction was explored first using spectroscopy, followed by crystallography. In structural supramolecular chemistry, a crystal structure is often not the result of hierarchic interaction preferences but a convolution of a large number of strong and weak interactions, each of which affect the rest intimately. Methods for codification of crystal structures must take this into account if they are to be accurate and useful. Of course, the goal of a subject like crystal engineering is to design systems where the interaction preferences are hierarchic, or in other words where the interaction interference is at a minimum. However, most crystal structures are not so predictable and the challenge posed by weak hydrogen bonding effects to the dogma of crystal engineering remains a real one.
Donald Eugene Canfield
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145020
- eISBN:
- 9781400849888
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145020.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
The air we breathe is 21 percent oxygen, an amount higher than on any other known world. While we may take our air for granted, Earth was not always an oxygenated planet. How did it become this way? ...
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The air we breathe is 21 percent oxygen, an amount higher than on any other known world. While we may take our air for granted, Earth was not always an oxygenated planet. How did it become this way? This book covers this vast history, emphasizing its relationship to the evolution of life and the evolving chemistry of the Earth. The book guides readers through the various lines of scientific evidence, considers some of the wrong turns and dead ends along the way, and highlights the scientists and researchers who have made key discoveries in the field. Showing how Earth's atmosphere developed over time, the book takes readers on a remarkable journey through the history of the oxygenation of our planet.Less
The air we breathe is 21 percent oxygen, an amount higher than on any other known world. While we may take our air for granted, Earth was not always an oxygenated planet. How did it become this way? This book covers this vast history, emphasizing its relationship to the evolution of life and the evolving chemistry of the Earth. The book guides readers through the various lines of scientific evidence, considers some of the wrong turns and dead ends along the way, and highlights the scientists and researchers who have made key discoveries in the field. Showing how Earth's atmosphere developed over time, the book takes readers on a remarkable journey through the history of the oxygenation of our planet.
Chih-Ming Ho (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199219698
- eISBN:
- 9780191594229
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199219698.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Mathematical Biology
A universal goal of technological development is the enrichment of human life. The fast developments of nano/micro technologies enable us to directly handle a single cell or a single molecule. This ...
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A universal goal of technological development is the enrichment of human life. The fast developments of nano/micro technologies enable us to directly handle a single cell or a single molecule. This capability propels the molecular based diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to a new horizon. In this book, we not only examine the-state- of-art biotechnologies, but also present many cutting-edge research topics which will lead toward the next generation technologies for improving human health. With the capabilities of moving, stopping, mixing and concentrating minute amount of fluid and/or particles, microfluidic circuitry provides unprecedented functions for advancing sample preparation and cell culture processes. Integrated bio-marker sensors with microfluidics, it becomes possible to detect diseases in extremely sensitive and specific manner. With the cutting edge optical techniques and proper surface molecular modification, we can study and manipulate biological processes in live cell. While we have made significant progresses in studying and controlling the phenomena in the nano/micro scale, human health is a system issue with a length in the order of a meter. A disparity of several orders of magnitude in the length scales presents significant challenges. Our current and future tasks are to develop the seamless integration processes from materials through devices and eventually into engineering systems. Our ultimate goal is that these nano/micro technology based systems can effectively interface and direct the biological complex system toward desired fate.Less
A universal goal of technological development is the enrichment of human life. The fast developments of nano/micro technologies enable us to directly handle a single cell or a single molecule. This capability propels the molecular based diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to a new horizon. In this book, we not only examine the-state- of-art biotechnologies, but also present many cutting-edge research topics which will lead toward the next generation technologies for improving human health. With the capabilities of moving, stopping, mixing and concentrating minute amount of fluid and/or particles, microfluidic circuitry provides unprecedented functions for advancing sample preparation and cell culture processes. Integrated bio-marker sensors with microfluidics, it becomes possible to detect diseases in extremely sensitive and specific manner. With the cutting edge optical techniques and proper surface molecular modification, we can study and manipulate biological processes in live cell. While we have made significant progresses in studying and controlling the phenomena in the nano/micro scale, human health is a system issue with a length in the order of a meter. A disparity of several orders of magnitude in the length scales presents significant challenges. Our current and future tasks are to develop the seamless integration processes from materials through devices and eventually into engineering systems. Our ultimate goal is that these nano/micro technology based systems can effectively interface and direct the biological complex system toward desired fate.
John F. Padgett
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691148670
- eISBN:
- 9781400845552
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691148670.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter provides an extensive review of the biochemistry literature on the origins of life where the concept of autocatalysis figures most prominently. There is a lively debate in the scientific ...
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This chapter provides an extensive review of the biochemistry literature on the origins of life where the concept of autocatalysis figures most prominently. There is a lively debate in the scientific literature between scientists who subscribe to an RNA-first hypothesis and scientists who subscribe to a metabolism-first hypothesis about the origin of life. Both are different versions of autocatalysis, and a sensible conclusion could be that biological life really took off when a symbiosis developed between the two. After that, the chapter reviews past formal modeling in this area, which is spotty but highly suggestive. The chapter identifies Eigen's and Schuster's model of hypercycles as the path-breaking work that first placed empirical chemistry and formal models into fruitful dialogue with each other. Finally, the chapter reviews a less successful, more philosophical descendant of autocatalysis called autopoiesis, which is the guise under which autocatalysis first was presented to social scientists.Less
This chapter provides an extensive review of the biochemistry literature on the origins of life where the concept of autocatalysis figures most prominently. There is a lively debate in the scientific literature between scientists who subscribe to an RNA-first hypothesis and scientists who subscribe to a metabolism-first hypothesis about the origin of life. Both are different versions of autocatalysis, and a sensible conclusion could be that biological life really took off when a symbiosis developed between the two. After that, the chapter reviews past formal modeling in this area, which is spotty but highly suggestive. The chapter identifies Eigen's and Schuster's model of hypercycles as the path-breaking work that first placed empirical chemistry and formal models into fruitful dialogue with each other. Finally, the chapter reviews a less successful, more philosophical descendant of autocatalysis called autopoiesis, which is the guise under which autocatalysis first was presented to social scientists.
John F. Padgett, Peter McMahan, and Xing Zhong
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691148670
- eISBN:
- 9781400845552
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691148670.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter further develops an agent-based model of economic production from the previous chapter. It shows that certain limitations intrinsic to the original hypercycle model—in particular, ...
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This chapter further develops an agent-based model of economic production from the previous chapter. It shows that certain limitations intrinsic to the original hypercycle model—in particular, complexity barriers and vulnerability to parasites—are overcome once autocatalysis takes place in a spatial context, rather than in random-topology liquids. Localized heterogeneity in spatial interaction induces the inscription of path dependencies into cells. This explains why life becomes enhanced once it is embodied. The model also demonstrates why altruism and stigmergy produce more complex rule-chemistries. Altruistic reproduction and stigmergy are superior to selfish reproduction and fixed environments, respectively, because of their superior capacities for self-repair. Beyond suggestive specifics, the hypercycle model and its extensions show how chemistry and economic production and trading in markets can be mapped onto each other, sparking insights for both sides.Less
This chapter further develops an agent-based model of economic production from the previous chapter. It shows that certain limitations intrinsic to the original hypercycle model—in particular, complexity barriers and vulnerability to parasites—are overcome once autocatalysis takes place in a spatial context, rather than in random-topology liquids. Localized heterogeneity in spatial interaction induces the inscription of path dependencies into cells. This explains why life becomes enhanced once it is embodied. The model also demonstrates why altruism and stigmergy produce more complex rule-chemistries. Altruistic reproduction and stigmergy are superior to selfish reproduction and fixed environments, respectively, because of their superior capacities for self-repair. Beyond suggestive specifics, the hypercycle model and its extensions show how chemistry and economic production and trading in markets can be mapped onto each other, sparking insights for both sides.
Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199743285
- eISBN:
- 9780199894741
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199743285.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter explores the ideas of marriage in the minds of young adults. The vast majority of them wish to get married, yet the institution itself seems disconnected not only from ...
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This chapter explores the ideas of marriage in the minds of young adults. The vast majority of them wish to get married, yet the institution itself seems disconnected not only from where they are in their lives, but also where many of them want to go. Marriage becomes a future event that will somehow happen someday in the scripted manner in which they conceive of it. In the present, therefore, they remain cautious about it. Those must wait for the right person — not just any sexual partner — or until they’re ready to “settle down” and marry. Many young adults now perceive their 20s as the time to extend your adolescence, enjoy yourself, and try on different identities and relationships before getting serious. The chapter also explores the prevalence of “early” marriage as well as divorce, and discusses the increasing frequency of cohabitation.Less
This chapter explores the ideas of marriage in the minds of young adults. The vast majority of them wish to get married, yet the institution itself seems disconnected not only from where they are in their lives, but also where many of them want to go. Marriage becomes a future event that will somehow happen someday in the scripted manner in which they conceive of it. In the present, therefore, they remain cautious about it. Those must wait for the right person — not just any sexual partner — or until they’re ready to “settle down” and marry. Many young adults now perceive their 20s as the time to extend your adolescence, enjoy yourself, and try on different identities and relationships before getting serious. The chapter also explores the prevalence of “early” marriage as well as divorce, and discusses the increasing frequency of cohabitation.
William Taussig Scott and Martin X. Moleski
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195174335
- eISBN:
- 9780199835706
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019517433X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Michael Polanyi (1891–1976) was born to a Viennese family living in Hungary. After obtaining a medical degree, he served in the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I, then chose Austrian citizenship ...
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Michael Polanyi (1891–1976) was born to a Viennese family living in Hungary. After obtaining a medical degree, he served in the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I, then chose Austrian citizenship in the aftermath of the war. While on sick leave, he wrote an article on the adsorption of gases that became the foundation for his doctoral research in physical chemistry at Karlsruhe in Germany. In his later work at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin and the University of Manchester in England, Polanyi also worked on crystallography and reaction kinetics. After fleeing to England from Nazi Germany, Polanyi gradually turned away from physical chemistry to studies in economics, social and political analysis, philosophy, theology, and aesthetics. The biography traces the development of Polanyi's theory of tacit, personal knowledge and shows how his scientific career shaped his philosophy of science and his view of religion in general and Christianity and Judaism in particular.Less
Michael Polanyi (1891–1976) was born to a Viennese family living in Hungary. After obtaining a medical degree, he served in the Austro-Hungarian army in World War I, then chose Austrian citizenship in the aftermath of the war. While on sick leave, he wrote an article on the adsorption of gases that became the foundation for his doctoral research in physical chemistry at Karlsruhe in Germany. In his later work at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin and the University of Manchester in England, Polanyi also worked on crystallography and reaction kinetics. After fleeing to England from Nazi Germany, Polanyi gradually turned away from physical chemistry to studies in economics, social and political analysis, philosophy, theology, and aesthetics. The biography traces the development of Polanyi's theory of tacit, personal knowledge and shows how his scientific career shaped his philosophy of science and his view of religion in general and Christianity and Judaism in particular.
Catherine Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199238811
- eISBN:
- 9780191716492
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199238811.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Robert Boyle was the chief apologist of the 17th century for the corpuscularian or mechanical philosophy. He was also a pious, though doubting and tormented Christian, and his adoption of a ...
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Robert Boyle was the chief apologist of the 17th century for the corpuscularian or mechanical philosophy. He was also a pious, though doubting and tormented Christian, and his adoption of a semi-Epicurean ontology and his curiosity-driven experimentation with substances rich in sensory qualities caused him no little psychological conflict. His belief in the guiding hand of providence and in a future life were undermined by his commitment to the laws of nature and his difficulty in imagining what life in heaven would actually come to. This chapter discusses Boyle's theory of nature, his ambivalent relationship to the experimental life, and the philosophical strategies he employed to try to reconcile his intellectual conflicts and overcome his religious doubts.Less
Robert Boyle was the chief apologist of the 17th century for the corpuscularian or mechanical philosophy. He was also a pious, though doubting and tormented Christian, and his adoption of a semi-Epicurean ontology and his curiosity-driven experimentation with substances rich in sensory qualities caused him no little psychological conflict. His belief in the guiding hand of providence and in a future life were undermined by his commitment to the laws of nature and his difficulty in imagining what life in heaven would actually come to. This chapter discusses Boyle's theory of nature, his ambivalent relationship to the experimental life, and the philosophical strategies he employed to try to reconcile his intellectual conflicts and overcome his religious doubts.
Paul U. Unschuld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520257658
- eISBN:
- 9780520944701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520257658.003.0088
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
Nature cannot be destroyed by humanity. Nature is always superior; it shall always prevail. Humans, under the spell of chemistry, physics, and technology, have fallen out of touch with nature and ...
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Nature cannot be destroyed by humanity. Nature is always superior; it shall always prevail. Humans, under the spell of chemistry, physics, and technology, have fallen out of touch with nature and forgotten how to restrain their overconfidence. The result is not the destruction of nature, but the exact opposite. Nature is irritated, and stirred up in its powers to such a degree that it certainly destroys those who endeavor to escape its powers. The destruction of nature is not humanity's destruction of nature. The destruction of nature is nature's destruction of humanity. This puts a question on the developing science, especially, on the developing field of chemistry, regarding the use of chemicals. Naturopathy is touted to stand in the center of new idolatry, but the theology of the same, remains to be understood.Less
Nature cannot be destroyed by humanity. Nature is always superior; it shall always prevail. Humans, under the spell of chemistry, physics, and technology, have fallen out of touch with nature and forgotten how to restrain their overconfidence. The result is not the destruction of nature, but the exact opposite. Nature is irritated, and stirred up in its powers to such a degree that it certainly destroys those who endeavor to escape its powers. The destruction of nature is not humanity's destruction of nature. The destruction of nature is nature's destruction of humanity. This puts a question on the developing science, especially, on the developing field of chemistry, regarding the use of chemicals. Naturopathy is touted to stand in the center of new idolatry, but the theology of the same, remains to be understood.
Robin Findlay Hendry
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199583621
- eISBN:
- 9780191723483
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199583621.003.0014
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science
Let strict physicalism be any philosophical account of the ontological relationship between the subject matter of physics and other disciplines that is committed to the causal completeness of the ...
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Let strict physicalism be any philosophical account of the ontological relationship between the subject matter of physics and other disciplines that is committed to the causal completeness of the physical. In so far as its status is seriously considered by strict physicalists, completeness is usually taken to be established by appeal to the explanatory interaction between physics and other disciplines. This chapter challenges this view, formulating an emergentist position committed to a non‐trivial form of downward causation, and so the falsity of completeness. It is argued that the explanatory interaction between quantum mechanics and chemistry supports this emergentist position at least as well as it does strict physicalism.Less
Let strict physicalism be any philosophical account of the ontological relationship between the subject matter of physics and other disciplines that is committed to the causal completeness of the physical. In so far as its status is seriously considered by strict physicalists, completeness is usually taken to be established by appeal to the explanatory interaction between physics and other disciplines. This chapter challenges this view, formulating an emergentist position committed to a non‐trivial form of downward causation, and so the falsity of completeness. It is argued that the explanatory interaction between quantum mechanics and chemistry supports this emergentist position at least as well as it does strict physicalism.
