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Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The Emergence Of Sex, Ursula Goodenough
The Emergence Of Sex, Ursula Goodenough
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Biological traits, the foci of natural selection, are by definition emergent from the genes, proteins, and other “nothing-buts” that constitute them. Moreover, and with the exception of recently emergent “spandrels,” each can be accorded a teleological dimension—each is “for” some purpose conducive to an organism's continuation. Sex, which is “for” the generation of recombinant genomes, may be one of the most ancient and ubiquitous traits in biology. In the course of its evolution, many additional traits, such as gender and nurture, have emerged. Patterns of sexual exchange are the basis for patterns of biological evolution and are central to the …
Reductionism And Holism, Chance And Selection, Mechanism And Mind, Ursula Goodenough
Reductionism And Holism, Chance And Selection, Mechanism And Mind, Ursula Goodenough
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Despite its rich and deepening panoply of empirical support, evolutionary theory continues to generate widespread concern. Some of this concern can be attributed to misunderstandings of the original concept, some to unfamiliarity with its current trajectories, and some to strongly held fears that it strips the human of cherished attributes. In this essay I seek to deconstruct such misunderstandings, lift up current concepts of what evolution entails, and address some of the existential issues it generates.
Biology: What One Needs To Know, Ursula Goodenough
Biology: What One Needs To Know, Ursula Goodenough
Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations
Biology on this planet represents an astonishing experiment in carbon-based chemistry which, over billions of years, has generated billions of species adapted to countless major and minor fluctuations in ecological circumstances. In one sense there is no way to generalize about biology. While biological activities can all be ultimately explained by physical laws (like everything else in the universe), it is the emergent intensely particular properties of organisms that most interest us. This essay represents an attempt to describe some of the more prominent patterns that emerge from the sea of biological particularities, patterns that present many opportunities for religious …