Chance In Biology

Download Chance In Biology full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Chance In Biology ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Chance in Biology

Author : Mark Denny
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400841402
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Chance in Biology by : Mark Denny

Download or read book Chance in Biology written by Mark Denny and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-23 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Life is a chancy proposition: from the movement of molecules to the age at which we die, chance plays a key role in the natural world. Traditionally, biologists have viewed the inevitable "noise" of life as an unfortunate complication. The authors of this book, however, treat random processes as a benefit. In this introduction to chance in biology, Mark Denny and Steven Gaines help readers to apply the probability theory needed to make sense of chance events--using examples from ocean waves to spiderwebs, in fields ranging from molecular mechanics to evolution. Through the application of probability theory, Denny and Gaines make predictions about how plants and animals work in a stochastic universe. Is it possible to pack a variety of ion channels into a cell membrane and have each operate at near-peak flow? Why are our arteries rubbery? The concept of a random walk provides the necessary insight. Is there an absolute upper limit to human life span? Could the sound of a cocktail party burst your eardrums? The statistics of extremes allows us to make the appropriate calculations. How long must you wait to see the detail in a moonlit landscape? Can you hear the noise of individual molecules? The authors provide answers to these and many other questions. After an introduction to the basic statistical methods to be used in this book, the authors emphasize the application of probability theory to biology rather than the details of the theory itself. Readers with an introductory background in calculus will be able to follow the reasoning, and sets of problems, together with their solutions, are offered to reinforce concepts. The use of real-world examples, numerous illustrations, and chapter summaries--all presented with clarity and wit--make for a highly accessible text. By relating the theory of probability to the understanding of form and function in living things, the authors seek to pique the reader's curiosity about statistics and provide a new perspective on the role of chance in biology.

Chance and Necessity

Author : Jacques Monod
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780140256468
Total Pages : 198 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (564 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Chance and Necessity by : Jacques Monod

Download or read book Chance and Necessity written by Jacques Monod and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Change and necessity is a statement of Darwinian natural selection as a process driven by chance necessity, devoid of purpose or intent.

Improbable Destinies

Author : Jonathan B. Losos
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0399184937
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (991 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Improbable Destinies by : Jonathan B. Losos

Download or read book Improbable Destinies written by Jonathan B. Losos and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-08-08 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works Earth’s natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change—a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze—caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary flukes? And what does that say about life on other planets? Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be. Improbable Destinies will change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos.

Chance in Biology

Author : Mark W. Denny
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 291 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (16 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Chance in Biology by : Mark W. Denny

Download or read book Chance in Biology written by Mark W. Denny and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Chance in Evolution

Author : Grant Ramsey
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022640191X
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (264 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Chance in Evolution by : Grant Ramsey

Download or read book Chance in Evolution written by Grant Ramsey and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illuminating volume explores the effects of chance on evolution, covering diverse perspectives from scientists, philosophers, and historians. The evolution of species, from single-celled organisms to multicellular animals and plants, is the result of a long and highly chancy history. But how profoundly has chance shaped life on earth? And what, precisely, do we mean by chance? Bringing together biologists, philosophers of science, and historians of science, Chance in Evolution is the first book to untangle the far-reaching effects of chance, contingency, and randomness on the evolution of life. The book begins by placing chance in historical context, starting with the ancients and moving through Darwin to contemporary biology. It documents the shifts in our understanding of chance as Darwin’s theory of evolution developed into the modern synthesis, and how the acceptance of chance in Darwinian theory affected theological resistance to it. Other chapters discuss how chance relates to the concepts of genetic drift, mutation, and parallel evolution—as well as recent work in paleobiology and the experimental evolution of microbes. By engaging in collaboration across biology, history, philosophy, and theology, this book offers a comprehensive overview both of the history of chance in evolution and of our current understanding of the impact of chance on life.

What Makes Biology Unique?

Author : Ernst Mayr
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521700344
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (3 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis What Makes Biology Unique? by : Ernst Mayr

Download or read book What Makes Biology Unique? written by Ernst Mayr and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-04-16 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, a collection of essays written by the most eminent evolutionary biologist of the twentieth century, explores biology as an autonomous science, offers insights on the history of evolutionary thought, critiques the contributions of philosophy to the science of biology, and comments on several of the major ongoing issues in evolutionary theory. Notably, Mayr explains that Darwin's theory of evolution is actually five separate theories, each with its own history, trajectory and impact. Natural selection is a separate idea from common descent, and from geographic speciation, and so on. A number of the perennial Darwinian controversies may well have been caused by the confounding of the five separate theories into a single composite. Those interested in evolutionary theory, or the philosophy and history of science will find useful ideas in this book, which should appeal to virtually anyone with a broad curiosity about biology.

The Challenge of Chance

Author : Klaas Landsman
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319263005
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Challenge of Chance by : Klaas Landsman

Download or read book The Challenge of Chance written by Klaas Landsman and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-06-09 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a multidisciplinary perspective on chance, with contributions from distinguished researchers in the areas of biology, cognitive neuroscience, economics, genetics, general history, law, linguistics, logic, mathematical physics, statistics, theology and philosophy. The individual chapters are bound together by a general introduction followed by an opening chapter that surveys 2500 years of linguistic, philosophical, and scientific reflections on chance, coincidence, fortune, randomness, luck and related concepts. A main conclusion that can be drawn is that, even after all this time, we still cannot be sure whether chance is a truly fundamental and irreducible phenomenon, in that certain events are simply uncaused and could have been otherwise, or whether it is always simply a reflection of our ignorance. Other challenges that emerge from this book include a better understanding of the contextuality and perspectival character of chance (including its scale-dependence), and the curious fact that, throughout history (including contemporary science), chance has been used both as an explanation and as a hallmark of the absence of explanation. As such, this book challenges the reader to think about chance in a new way and to come to grips with this endlessly fascinating phenomenon.

From Chance to Choice

Author : Allen Buchanan
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1316583937
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (165 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis From Chance to Choice by : Allen Buchanan

Download or read book From Chance to Choice written by Allen Buchanan and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2001-11-12 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, written by four internationally renowned bioethicists and first published in 2000, was the first systematic treatment of the fundamental ethical issues underlying the application of genetic technologies to human beings. Probing the implications of the remarkable advances in genetics, the authors ask how should these affect our understanding of distributive justice, equality of opportunity, the rights and obligations as parents, the meaning of disability, and the role of the concept of human nature in ethical theory and practice. The book offers a historical context to contemporary debate over the use of these technologies by examining the eugenics movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The questions raised in this book will be of interest to any reflective reader concerned about science and society and the rapid development of biotechnology, as well as to professionals in such areas as philosophy, bioethics, medical ethics, health management, law, and political science.

Is There Purpose in Biology?

Author : Denis Alexander
Publisher : Monarch Books
ISBN 13 : 0857217151
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (572 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Is There Purpose in Biology? by : Denis Alexander

Download or read book Is There Purpose in Biology? written by Denis Alexander and published by Monarch Books. This book was released on 2018-06-22 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atheists assert that the natural world has no meaning or purpose. Dr Denis Alexander, Emeritus Director of The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at St. Edmunds College, Cambridge, draws a different conclusion. Not only do recent evolutionary biological data appear inconsistent with the claim that the world is purposeless, but the Christian doctrine of creation has provided and continues to provide both context and stimulus for the study of the natural world. Christians started biology! However, is a belief in an omnipotent, benign Creator consistent with a world of pain and suffering? From a lifetime's study in the biological sciences, Denis Alexander believes that whilst the cost of existence is extremely high, it can nonetheless be squared with the idea of a God of love whose ultimate purposes for humankind render that cost more comprehensible.

Unifying Biology

Author : Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691221782
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Unifying Biology by : Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis

Download or read book Unifying Biology written by Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unifying Biology offers a historical reconstruction of one of the most important yet elusive episodes in the history of modern science: the evolutionary synthesis of the 1930s and 1940s. For more than seventy years after Darwin proposed his theory of evolution, it was hotly debated by biological scientists. It was not until the 1930s that opposing theories were finally refuted and a unified Darwinian evolutionary theory came to be widely accepted by biologists. Using methods gleaned from a variety of disciplines, Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis argues that the evolutionary synthesis was part of the larger process of unifying the biological sciences. At the same time that scientists were working toward a synthesis between Darwinian selection theory and modern genetics, they were, according to the author, also working together to establish an autonomous community of evolutionists. Smocovitis suggests that the drive to unify the sciences of evolution and biology was part of a global philosophical movement toward unifying knowledge. In developing her argument, she pays close attention to the problems inherent in writing the history of evolutionary science by offering historiographical reflections on the practice of history and the practice of science. Drawing from some of the most exciting recent approaches in science studies and cultural studies, she argues that science is a culture, complete with language, rituals, texts, and practices. Unifying Biology offers not only its own new synthesis of the history of modern evolution, but also a new way of "doing history."

The Vital Question

Author : Nick Lane
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781781250372
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (53 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Vital Question by : Nick Lane

Download or read book The Vital Question written by Nick Lane and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A game-changing book on the origins of life, called the most important scientific discovery 'since the Copernican revolution' in The Observer.

Genesis

Author : Jan Sapp
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780198035503
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (355 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Genesis by : Jan Sapp

Download or read book Genesis written by Jan Sapp and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2003-09-11 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genesis: The Evolution of Biology presents a history of the past two centuries of biology, suitable for use in courses, but of interest more broadly to evolutionary biologists, geneticists, and biomedical scientists, as well as general readers interested in the history of science. The book covers the early evolutionary biologists-Lamarck, Cuvier, Darwin and Wallace through Mayr and the neodarwinian synthesis, in much the same way as other histories of evolution have done, bringing in also the social implications, the struggles with our religious understanding, and the interweaving of genetics into evolutionary theory. What is novel about Sapp's account is a real integration of the cytological tradition, from Schwann, Boveri, and the other early cell biologists and embryologists, and the coverage of symbiosis, microbial evolutionary phylogenies, and the new understanding of the diversification of life coming from comparative analyses of complete microbial genomes. The book is a history of theories about evolution, genes and organisms from Lamarck and Darwin to the present day. This is the first book on the general history of evolutionary biology to include the history of research and theories about symbiosis in evolution, and first to include research on microbial evolution which were excluded from the classical neo-Darwinian synthesis. Bacterial evolution, and symbiosis in evolution are also excluded from virtually every book on the history of biology.

Chance and Necessity

Author : Jacques Monod
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Chance and Necessity by : Jacques Monod

Download or read book Chance and Necessity written by Jacques Monod and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1972 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Introduction to Statistics for Biology

Author : Trudy A. Watt
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1420011529
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Introduction to Statistics for Biology by : Trudy A. Watt

Download or read book Introduction to Statistics for Biology written by Trudy A. Watt and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-05-17 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even though an understanding of experimental design and statistics is central to modern biology, undergraduate and graduate students studying biological subjects often lack confidence in their numerical abilities. Allaying the anxieties of students, Introduction to Statistics for Biology, Third Edition provides a painless introduction to the subject while demonstrating the importance of statistics in contemporary biological studies. New to the Third Edition More detailed explanation of the ideas of elementary probability to simplify the rationale behind hypothesis testing, before moving on to simple tests An emphasis on experimental design and data simulation prior to performing an experiment A general template for carrying out statistical tests from hypothesis to interpretation Worked examples and updated Minitab analyses and graphics Downloadable resources contains a free trial version of Minitab Using Minitab throughout to present practical examples, the authors emphasize the interpretation of computer output. With its nontechnical approach and practical advice, this student-friendly introductory text lays the foundation for the advanced study of statistical analysis.

Heredity Produced

Author : Staffan Müller-Wille
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262134764
Total Pages : 511 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (621 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Heredity Produced by : Staffan Müller-Wille

Download or read book Heredity Produced written by Staffan Müller-Wille and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cultural history of heredity: scholars from a range of disciplines discuss the evolution of the concept of heredity, from the Early Modern understanding of the act of "generation" to its later nineteenth-century definition as the transmission of characteristics across generations. Until the middle of the eighteenth century, the biological makeup of an organism was ascribed to an individual instance of "generation"--involving conception, pregnancy, embryonic development, parturition, lactation, and even astral influences and maternal mood--rather than the biological transmission of traits and characteristics. Discussions of heredity and inheritance took place largely in the legal and political sphere. In Heredity Produced, scholars from a broad range of disciplines explore the development of the concept of heredity from the early modern period to the era of Darwin and Mendel. The contributors examine the evolution of the concept in disparate cultural realms--including law, medicine, and natural history--and show that it did not coalesce into a more general understanding of heredity until the mid-nineteenth century. They consider inheritance and kinship in a legal context; the classification of certain diseases as hereditary; the study of botany; animal and plant breeding and hybridization for desirable characteristics; theories of generation and evolution; and anthropology and its study of physical differences among humans, particularly skin color. The editors argue that only when people, animals, and plants became more mobile--and were separated from their natural habitats through exploration, colonialism, and other causes--could scientists distinguish between inherited and environmentally induced traits and develop a coherent theory of heredity. Contributors David Sabean, Silvia De Renzi, Ulrike Vedder, Carlos López Beltrán, Phillip K. Wilson, Laure Cartron, Staffan Müller-Wille, Marc J. Ratcliff, Roger Wood, Mary Terrall, Peter McLaughlin, François Duchesneau, Ohad Parnes, Renato Mazzolini, Paul White, Nicolas Pethes, Stefan Willer, Helmuth Müller-Sievers

The Selfish Gene

Author : Richard Dawkins
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780192860927
Total Pages : 372 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (69 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Selfish Gene by : Richard Dawkins

Download or read book The Selfish Gene written by Richard Dawkins and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1989 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science need not be dull and bogged down by jargon, as Richard Dawkins proves in this entertaining look at evolution. The themes he takes up are the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour; the genetical definition of selfish interest; the evolution of aggressive behaviour; kinshiptheory; sex ratio theory; reciprocal altruism; deceit; and the natural selection of sex differences. 'Should be read, can be read by almost anyone. It describes with great skill a new face of the theory of evolution.' W.D. Hamilton, Science

Concepts of Biology

Author : Samantha Fowler
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9789888407453
Total Pages : 618 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (74 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Concepts of Biology by : Samantha Fowler

Download or read book Concepts of Biology written by Samantha Fowler and published by . This book was released on 2018-01-07 with total page 618 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concepts of Biology is designed for the single-semester introduction to biology course for non-science majors, which for many students is their only college-level science course. As such, this course represents an important opportunity for students to develop the necessary knowledge, tools, and skills to make informed decisions as they continue with their lives. Rather than being mired down with facts and vocabulary, the typical non-science major student needs information presented in a way that is easy to read and understand. Even more importantly, the content should be meaningful. Students do much better when they understand why biology is relevant to their everyday lives. For these reasons, Concepts of Biology is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand.We also strive to show the interconnectedness of topics within this extremely broad discipline. In order to meet the needs of today's instructors and students, we maintain the overall organization and coverage found in most syllabi for this course. A strength of Concepts of Biology is that instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Concepts of Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand--and apply--key concepts.