The Great Chain of Being
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John Hill (1714?–1775) on 'Plant Sleep'
Annals of Science ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tasc20 John Hill (1714?–1775) on ‘Plant Sleep’: experimental physiology and the limits of comparative analysis Justin Begley To cite this article: Justin Begley (2020): John Hill (1714?–1775) on ‘Plant Sleep’: experimental physiology and the limits of comparative analysis, Annals of Science, DOI: 10.1080/00033790.2020.1813807 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00033790.2020.1813807 © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Published online: 12 Sep 2020. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tasc20 ANNALS OF SCIENCE https://doi.org/10.1080/00033790.2020.1813807 John Hill (1714?–1775) on ‘Plant Sleep’: experimental physiology and the limits of comparative analysis Justin Begley Department of Philosophy, History, and Art, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY The phenomenon of ‘plant sleep’–whereby vegetables Received 1 October 2019 rhythmically open and close their leaves or petals in Accepted 18 August 2020 daily cycles – has been a continual source of fascination KEYWORDS for those with botanical interests, from the Portuguese Royal Society; history of physician Cristóbal Acosta and the Italian naturalist botany; John Hill; Prospero Alpini in the sixteenth century to Percy Bysshe experimentation; natural Shelley and Charles Darwin in the nineteenth. But it was history in 1757 that the topic received its earliest systemic treatment on English shores with the prodigious author, botanist, actor, and Royal Society critic John Hill’s The Sleep of Plants, and Cause of Motion in the Sensitive Plant. -
Transformations of Lamarckism Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology Gerd B
Transformations of Lamarckism Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology Gerd B. M ü ller, G ü nter P. Wagner, and Werner Callebaut, editors The Evolution of Cognition , edited by Cecilia Heyes and Ludwig Huber, 2000 Origination of Organismal Form: Beyond the Gene in Development and Evolutionary Biology , edited by Gerd B. M ü ller and Stuart A. Newman, 2003 Environment, Development, and Evolution: Toward a Synthesis , edited by Brian K. Hall, Roy D. Pearson, and Gerd B. M ü ller, 2004 Evolution of Communication Systems: A Comparative Approach , edited by D. Kimbrough Oller and Ulrike Griebel, 2004 Modularity: Understanding the Development and Evolution of Natural Complex Systems , edited by Werner Callebaut and Diego Rasskin-Gutman, 2005 Compositional Evolution: The Impact of Sex, Symbiosis, and Modularity on the Gradualist Framework of Evolution , by Richard A. Watson, 2006 Biological Emergences: Evolution by Natural Experiment , by Robert G. B. Reid, 2007 Modeling Biology: Structure, Behaviors, Evolution , edited by Manfred D. Laubichler and Gerd B. M ü ller, 2007 Evolution of Communicative Flexibility: Complexity, Creativity, and Adaptability in Human and Animal Communication , edited by Kimbrough D. Oller and Ulrike Griebel, 2008 Functions in Biological and Artifi cial Worlds: Comparative Philosophical Perspectives , edited by Ulrich Krohs and Peter Kroes, 2009 Cognitive Biology: Evolutionary and Developmental Perspectives on Mind, Brain, and Behavior , edited by Luca Tommasi, Mary A. Peterson, and Lynn Nadel, 2009 Innovation in Cultural Systems: Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology , edited by Michael J. O ’ Brien and Stephen J. Shennan, 2010 The Major Transitions in Evolution Revisited , edited by Brett Calcott and Kim Sterelny, 2011 Transformations of Lamarckism: From Subtle Fluids to Molecular Biology , edited by Snait B. -
Evolution by Natural Selection, Formulated Independently by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
UNIT 4 EVOLUTIONARY PATT EVOLUTIONARY E RNS AND PROC E SS E Evolution by Natural S 22 Selection Natural selection In this chapter you will learn that explains how Evolution is one of the most populations become important ideas in modern biology well suited to their environments over time. The shape and by reviewing by asking by applying coloration of leafy sea The rise of What is the evidence for evolution? Evolution in action: dragons (a fish closely evolutionary thought two case studies related to seahorses) 22.1 22.4 are heritable traits that with regard to help them to hide from predators. The pattern of evolution: The process of species have changed evolution by natural and are related 22.2 selection 22.3 keeping in mind Common myths about natural selection and adaptation 22.5 his chapter is about one of the great ideas in science: the theory of evolution by natural selection, formulated independently by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. The theory explains how T populations—individuals of the same species that live in the same area at the same time—have come to be adapted to environments ranging from arctic tundra to tropical wet forest. It revealed one of the five key attributes of life: Populations of organisms evolve. In other words, the heritable characteris- This chapter is part of the tics of populations change over time (Chapter 1). Big Picture. See how on Evolution by natural selection is one of the best supported and most important theories in the history pages 516–517. of scientific research. -
Many but Not All Lineage-Specific Genes Can Be Explained by Homology Detection Failure
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.27.968420; this version posted April 14, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. Many but not all lineage-specific genes can be explained by homology detection failure Caroline M. Weisman1, Andrew W. Murray1, Sean R. Eddy1,2,3 1 Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, 2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 3 John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA Abstract Genes for which homologs can be detected only in a limited group of evolutionarily related species, called “lineage-specific genes,” are pervasive: essentially every lineage has them, and they often comprise a sizable fraction of the group’s total genes. Lineage-specific genes are often interpreted as “novel” genes, representing genetic novelty born anew within that lineage. Here, we develop a simple method to test an alternative null hypothesis: that lineage-specific genes do have homologs outside of the lineage that, even while evolving at a constant rate in a novelty-free manner, have merely become undetectable by search algorithms used to infer homology. We show that this null hypothesis is sufficient to explain the lack of detected homologs of a large number of lineage-specific genes in fungi and insects. However, we also find that a minority of lineage-specific genes in both clades are not well-explained by this novelty- free model. -
Leibniz on Whether the World Increases in Perfection
LEIBNIZ ON WHETHER THE WORLD INCREASES IN PERFECTION Lloyd Strickland In a letter to Bourguet written on 5 August 1715, a little over a year before his death, Leibniz suggests that, on the question of the world’s perfection, ‘Two hypotheses can be formed – one that nature is equally perfect, the other that it always increases in perfection.’ (L664)1 He then proceeds to split the second option into two further 1 The abbreviations I use throughout when citing Leibniz are as follows: A = Sämtliche schriften und briefe, ed by Akademie der Wissenschaften, multiple volumes in 6 series, cited by series (reihe) and volume (band) (Berlin, 1923-). AG = Philosophical essays, trans & ed by Roger Ariew & Daniel Garber (Indianapolis, 1989). D = De summa rerum, trans by G. H. R. Parkinson (New Haven, 1992). DM = Discourse on metaphysics, cited by section number, various translations in AG, L, P, W etc. Dn = The philosophical works of Leibnitz, trans & ed George Martin Duncan (New Haven, 1908). E = Opera Philosophica, ed by J. E. Erdmann (Berlin, 1840). G = Die philosophiscen Schriften von Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, ed by C. I. Gerhardt, 7 vols (Berlin, 1875-1890). GM = G. W. Leibniz: Mathematische Schriften, ed by C. I. Gerhardt, 7 vols (Berlin, 1962). Gr = Textes inédits, ed by Gaston Grua, 2 vols with successive pagination (Paris, 1948). H = Theodicy, trans by E. M. Huggard (Chicago, 1990). L = Philosophical papers and letters, trans & ed Leroy E. Loemker (Dordrecht, 2ed 1969). Mon = Monadology, cited by section number, various translations in AG, L, P, W etc. NE = New essays concerning human understanding, trans & ed by Peter Remnant & Jonathan Bennett (Cambridge, 1996). -
Staying Optimistic: the Trials and Tribulations of Leibnizian Optimism
Strickland, Lloyd 2019 Staying Optimistic: The Trials and Tribulations of Leibnizian Optimism. Journal of Modern Philosophy, 1(1): 3, pp. 1–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32881/jomp.3 RESEARCH Staying Optimistic: The Trials and Tribulations of Leibnizian Optimism Lloyd Strickland Manchester Metropolitan University, GB [email protected] The oft-told story of Leibniz’s doctrine of the best world, or optimism, is that it enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the eighteenth century until the massive earthquake that struck Lisbon on 1 November 1755 destroyed its support. Despite its long history, this story is nothing more than a commentators’ fiction that has become accepted wisdom not through sheer weight of evidence but through sheer frequency of repetition. In this paper we shall examine the reception of Leibniz’s doctrine of the best world in the eighteenth century in order to get a clearer understanding of what its fate really was. As we shall see, while Leibniz’s doctrine did win a good number of adherents in the 1720s and 1730s, especially in Germany, support for it had largely dried up by the mid-1740s; moreover, while opponents of Leibniz’s doctrine were few and far between in the 1710s and 1720s, they became increasing vocal in the 1730s and afterwards, between them producing an array of objections that served to make Leibnizian optimism both philosophically and theologically toxic years before the Lisbon earthquake struck. Keywords: Leibniz; Optimism; Best world; Lisbon earthquake; Evil; Wolff The oft-told story of Leibniz’s doctrine of the best world, or optimism, is that it enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the eighteenth century until the massive earthquake that struck Lisbon on 1 November 1755 destroyed its support. -
Convergent Evolution
Exploring the KU Natural History Museum Convergent Evolution Target Audience: Middle school and above Differentiated Instruction Summary Strategy Levels Content/Process/Product Grouping(s) Learning modalities Whole group • Level 1 – Visual (spatial) Small groups Process Cubing Level 2 – Kinesthetic (physical) Peer partners • Product • Level 3 – Verbal (linguistic) Homogeneous Heterogeneous * Varied grouping options can be used for this activity, depending on student needs and chaperone ability. Objectives: Explore examples of convergent evolution in vertebrates. Pre-assessment/Prior Knowledge: Prior to their visit, students should be familiar with the idea of convergent evolution, overall evolutionary relationships/classification of vertebrate groups and basic anatomy of those groups. Activity Description: Students explore the idea of convergent evolution through museum exhibits through different learning modalities. Materials Needed: • Student o Cubes (three levels, see attached) o Paper and pencils (alternatively you could use flipchart paper and markers, whiteboards and dry erase markers) o Optional (cell phones or other recording device for visual or kinesthetic levels) Note: Format to record/present findings determined by individual teacher. Provide clear instructions about expectations for documenting participation, particularly for verbal/spatial and body/kinesthetic levels (e.g. stage direction, audio/video recording). • Teacher o Content Outline o Cube labels o Cube template Content: Convergence Overview Convergent evolution refers to the similarities in biological traits that arise independently in organisms that are not closely related, e.g. wings in birds, bats and insects. Similarity among organisms and their structures that was not inherited from a common ancestor is considered to be homoplasy. This can be contrasted with homology, which refers to similarity of traits due to common ancestry. -
Systematic Morphology of Fishes in the Early 21St Century
Copeia 103, No. 4, 2015, 858–873 When Tradition Meets Technology: Systematic Morphology of Fishes in the Early 21st Century Eric J. Hilton1, Nalani K. Schnell2, and Peter Konstantinidis1 Many of the primary groups of fishes currently recognized have been established through an iterative process of anatomical study and comparison of fishes that has spanned a time period approaching 500 years. In this paper we give a brief history of the systematic morphology of fishes, focusing on some of the individuals and their works from which we derive our own inspiration. We further discuss what is possible at this point in history in the anatomical study of fishes and speculate on the future of morphology used in the systematics of fishes. Beyond the collection of facts about the anatomy of fishes, morphology remains extremely relevant in the age of molecular data for at least three broad reasons: 1) new techniques for the preparation of specimens allow new data sources to be broadly compared; 2) past morphological analyses, as well as new ideas about interrelationships of fishes (based on both morphological and molecular data) provide rich sources of hypotheses to test with new morphological investigations; and 3) the use of morphological data is not limited to understanding phylogeny and evolution of fishes, but rather is of broad utility to understanding the general biology (including phenotypic adaptation, evolution, ecology, and conservation biology) of fishes. Although in some ways morphology struggles to compete with the lure of molecular data for systematic research, we see the anatomical study of fishes entering into a new and exciting phase of its history because of recent technological and methodological innovations. -
Article Leibniz on Whether the World Increases In
British Journal for the History of Philosophy 14(1) 2006: 51 – 68 ARTICLE LEIBNIZ ON WHETHER THE WORLD INCREASES IN PERFECTION Lloyd Strickland In a letter to Bourguet written on 5 August 1715, a little over a year before his death, Leibniz suggests that, on the question of the world’s perfection, ‘Two hypotheses can be formed – one that nature is always equally perfect, the other that it always increases in perfection’ (L664).1 He then proceeds to split the second option into two further hypotheses: first, that the world has been increasing in perfection since its inception at a first moment; and second, that it has been increasing in perfection from all eternity. He illustrates these alternatives by means of the following diagrams: 1The abbreviations I use throughout when citing Leibniz are as follows: A ¼ Sa¨mtliche Schriften und Briefe, edited by Akademie der Wissenschaften, multiple Vols in six series, cited by series (reihe) and volume (band) (Berlin, 1923–). AG ¼ Philosophical Essays, translated and edited by Roger Ariew and Daniel Garber (Indianapolis, 1989). D ¼ De Summa Rerum, translated by G. H. R. Parkinson (New Haven, 1992). DM ¼ Discourse on Metaphysics, cited by section number, various translations in AG, L, P, W, etc. Dn ¼ The Philosophical Works of Leibnitz, translated and edited by George Martin Duncan (New Haven, 1908). E ¼ Opera Philosophica, edited by J. E. Erdmann (Berlin, 1840). G ¼ Die philosophiscen Schriften von Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, edited by C. I. Gerhardt, 7 Vols (Berlin, 1875–90). GM ¼ G. W. Leibniz: Mathematische Schriften, edited by C. I. Gerhardt, 7 Vols (Berlin, 1962). -
Evolution of the Muscular System in Tetrapod Limbs Tatsuya Hirasawa1* and Shigeru Kuratani1,2
Hirasawa and Kuratani Zoological Letters (2018) 4:27 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40851-018-0110-2 REVIEW Open Access Evolution of the muscular system in tetrapod limbs Tatsuya Hirasawa1* and Shigeru Kuratani1,2 Abstract While skeletal evolution has been extensively studied, the evolution of limb muscles and brachial plexus has received less attention. In this review, we focus on the tempo and mode of evolution of forelimb muscles in the vertebrate history, and on the developmental mechanisms that have affected the evolution of their morphology. Tetrapod limb muscles develop from diffuse migrating cells derived from dermomyotomes, and the limb-innervating nerves lose their segmental patterns to form the brachial plexus distally. Despite such seemingly disorganized developmental processes, limb muscle homology has been highly conserved in tetrapod evolution, with the apparent exception of the mammalian diaphragm. The limb mesenchyme of lateral plate mesoderm likely plays a pivotal role in the subdivision of the myogenic cell population into individual muscles through the formation of interstitial muscle connective tissues. Interactions with tendons and motoneuron axons are involved in the early and late phases of limb muscle morphogenesis, respectively. The mechanism underlying the recurrent generation of limb muscle homology likely resides in these developmental processes, which should be studied from an evolutionary perspective in the future. Keywords: Development, Evolution, Homology, Fossils, Regeneration, Tetrapods Background other morphological characters that may change during The fossil record reveals that the evolutionary rate of growth. Skeletal muscles thus exhibit clear advantages vertebrate morphology has been variable, and morpho- for the integration of paleontology and evolutionary logical deviations and alterations have taken place unevenly developmental biology. -
The 'Role' a Concept Plays in Science — the Case of Homology
The ‘Role’ a Concept Plays in Science — The Case of Homology INGO BRIGANDT Department of History and Philosophy of Science University of Pittsburgh 1017 Cathedral of Learning Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA E-mail: [email protected] August 19, 2001 Abstract. This article tries to clarify the idea that a concept plays a certain role for a scientific field or a research program. The discussion is based on a case study of the homology concept in biology. In particular, I examine how homology plays a different role for comparative, developmental, and molecular biology. The aspects that may constitute the role of a concept emerge from this discussion. Introduction This paper deals with concepts and conceptual change in science by trying to shed some light on the idea that a concept plays a certain ‘role’ for a scientific field or a research approach. My original motivation to address this topic stems from semantic considerations. I disagree with standard causal theories of reference because they do not take conceptual change in science and its reasons seriously. Causal theories often have a somewhat static (in fact preformationist) understanding of concepts (our belief about the referent is usually considered to change), and they often look to the wrong place if they have to account for apparent changes in meaning. Instead, my idea is to focus on the role a concept plays — when the role of a scientific concept changes, then we have a change in meaning of this term. This is an approach that is neither a THE ‘ROLE’ A CONCEPT PLAYS IN SCIENCE 2 causal nor a descriptive theory of reference, and it is able to keep change of meaning and change of theory apart — not every change of theory amounts to a new role for a concept. -
The Great Chain of Being
26.5 essay 429 MH 23/5/05 9:59 AM Page 429 NATURE|Vol 435|26 May 2005 ESSAY The great chain of being Our persistence in placing ourselves at the top of the Great Chain of Being suggests we have some deep psychological need to see ourselves as the culmination of creation. Sean Nee medieval theologian, albeit with some nov- Changes in ocean ecosystems wrought elties and the startling omission of God. by Bacteria and Archaea contributed to For centuries the ‘great chain of being’ held By starting with us, Dawkins regenerates the deposition of the ocean sediments, an a central place in Western thought. This the chain because species that are more event of enormous significance: these sed- view saw the Universe as ordered in a lin- closely related to us are more similar as iments became the habitat for bacteria that ear sequence starting from the inanimate well, and such similarity was an important now constitute about one-third of the total world of rocks. Plants came next, then ani- criterion in determining the rankings in living biomass today. (A side-effect of the mals, men, angels and, finally, God. It was the classical chain. But there is nothing deposition is the oxygenation of the very detailed with, for example, a ranking about the world that compels us to think atmosphere by photosynthetic bacteria.) of human races; humans them- Evolution continued for bil- selves ranked above apes above lions of years, with many remark- reptiles above amphibians above Human able innovations stimulated by fish. This view even predicted a both cooperation and conflict.