Jan Vijg
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- April 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198569237
- eISBN:
- 9780191728242
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198569237.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Aging has long since been ascribed to the gradual accumulation of DNA mutations in the genome of somatic cells. However, it is only recently that the necessary sophisticated technology has been ...
More
Aging has long since been ascribed to the gradual accumulation of DNA mutations in the genome of somatic cells. However, it is only recently that the necessary sophisticated technology has been developed to begin testing this theory and its consequences. This book critically reviews the concept of genomic instability as a possible universal cause of aging in the context of a new, holistic understanding of genome functioning in complex organisms resulting from recent advances in functional genomics and systems biology. It provides a synthesis of current research, as well as a look ahead to the design of strategies to retard or reverse the deleterious effects of aging. This is particularly important in a time when we are urgently trying to unravel the genetic component of aging-related diseases. Moreover, there is a growing public recognition of the imperative of understanding more about the underlying biology of aging, driven by continuing demographic change.Less
Aging has long since been ascribed to the gradual accumulation of DNA mutations in the genome of somatic cells. However, it is only recently that the necessary sophisticated technology has been developed to begin testing this theory and its consequences. This book critically reviews the concept of genomic instability as a possible universal cause of aging in the context of a new, holistic understanding of genome functioning in complex organisms resulting from recent advances in functional genomics and systems biology. It provides a synthesis of current research, as well as a look ahead to the design of strategies to retard or reverse the deleterious effects of aging. This is particularly important in a time when we are urgently trying to unravel the genetic component of aging-related diseases. Moreover, there is a growing public recognition of the imperative of understanding more about the underlying biology of aging, driven by continuing demographic change.
John Mayfield
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231163040
- eISBN:
- 9780231535281
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231163040.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The concepts of evolution and complexity theory have become part of the intellectual ether permeating the life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and, more recently, management science and ...
More
The concepts of evolution and complexity theory have become part of the intellectual ether permeating the life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and, more recently, management science and economics. This book synthesizes core concepts from multiple disciplines to offer a new approach to understanding how evolution works and how complex organisms, structures, organizations, and social orders can and do arise based on information theory and computational science. This book challenges readers with a nuanced understanding of evolution and complexity that offers consistent, durable, and coherent explanations for major aspects of our life experiences. Numerous examples throughout the book illustrate evolution and complexity formation in action and highlight the core function of computation lying at the work's heart.Less
The concepts of evolution and complexity theory have become part of the intellectual ether permeating the life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and, more recently, management science and economics. This book synthesizes core concepts from multiple disciplines to offer a new approach to understanding how evolution works and how complex organisms, structures, organizations, and social orders can and do arise based on information theory and computational science. This book challenges readers with a nuanced understanding of evolution and complexity that offers consistent, durable, and coherent explanations for major aspects of our life experiences. Numerous examples throughout the book illustrate evolution and complexity formation in action and highlight the core function of computation lying at the work's heart.
Kristen Renwick Monroe
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195143584
- eISBN:
- 9780199848119
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195143584.003.0011
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
Empathy, altruism, and agape are not the same phenomenon. Altruism in the laboratory may differ in significant ways from altruism in what we often call the real world. Altruistic behavior does not ...
More
Empathy, altruism, and agape are not the same phenomenon. Altruism in the laboratory may differ in significant ways from altruism in what we often call the real world. Altruistic behavior does not correspond to the accepted wisdom in Western ethics in which ethics are a function of agonistic choice. This altruistic perspective consists of a common perception of oneself as an individual strongly linked to others through a shared humanity. Attempts to smuggle self-interest into acts of altruism make clear how difficult it is for disciplines founded on the assumption of self-interest to comprehend and explain altruism. Human beings are highly complex organisms living in a multiplicity of cultures, and any theoretical models designed to predict our behavior must try to allow for this complexity.Less
Empathy, altruism, and agape are not the same phenomenon. Altruism in the laboratory may differ in significant ways from altruism in what we often call the real world. Altruistic behavior does not correspond to the accepted wisdom in Western ethics in which ethics are a function of agonistic choice. This altruistic perspective consists of a common perception of oneself as an individual strongly linked to others through a shared humanity. Attempts to smuggle self-interest into acts of altruism make clear how difficult it is for disciplines founded on the assumption of self-interest to comprehend and explain altruism. Human beings are highly complex organisms living in a multiplicity of cultures, and any theoretical models designed to predict our behavior must try to allow for this complexity.
Tim Lenton and Andrew Watson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199587049
- eISBN:
- 9780191775031
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587049.003.0003
- Subject:
- Physics, Geophysics, Atmospheric and Environmental Physics
This chapter describes the nested structures found inside a human or any other complex organism, comparable to Russian dolls. As we delve deeper into this structure, we also go further back in time. ...
More
This chapter describes the nested structures found inside a human or any other complex organism, comparable to Russian dolls. As we delve deeper into this structure, we also go further back in time. All animals, and also plants and many fungi, are multi-cellular, made up of trillions of cells that act in supremely close cooperation, mostly using chemical signalling mechanisms to coordinate their actions. The adoption of the multi-cellular habit has enabled a huge increase in the complexity of size and form of living things. The three kingdoms of plants, animals, and fungi, which have raised multi-cellularity to a high art form, and which contain virtually all the living things that can actually be seen with the unaided eye, all appear in force in the fossil record after the most recent Snowball Earth event.Less
This chapter describes the nested structures found inside a human or any other complex organism, comparable to Russian dolls. As we delve deeper into this structure, we also go further back in time. All animals, and also plants and many fungi, are multi-cellular, made up of trillions of cells that act in supremely close cooperation, mostly using chemical signalling mechanisms to coordinate their actions. The adoption of the multi-cellular habit has enabled a huge increase in the complexity of size and form of living things. The three kingdoms of plants, animals, and fungi, which have raised multi-cellularity to a high art form, and which contain virtually all the living things that can actually be seen with the unaided eye, all appear in force in the fossil record after the most recent Snowball Earth event.
