What's New in Biology Since 1977?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the changes in biological theory and research since 1977, prompted by a query about a specific book and its relevance to contemporary biology. Participants explore various revolutionary concepts and advancements in the field, including emergent behavior and self-organization in biological systems.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express interest in the changes in biological theory and research since 1977, noting significant advancements in the last five years, including the development of PCR.
  • One participant highlights the concept of "emergent behavior" and self-organization in biological systems, citing termite mounds as an example of complex structures arising from simple interactions.
  • Another participant agrees on the significance of emergent behavior and draws parallels to its application in Artificial Intelligence, while also noting that many fundamental concepts in biology have remained consistent over the years.
  • Punctuated Equilibrium is mentioned as another potentially revolutionary concept in biology, though there is uncertainty about its timeline relative to 1977.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on what constitutes the most revolutionary concepts in biology since 1977, with some focusing on emergent behavior while others suggest Punctuated Equilibrium. There is no consensus on a singular revolutionary concept, and the discussion remains open-ended.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the timeline of discoveries and the evolution of concepts in biology are not fully substantiated, and there are unresolved questions regarding the specific contributions of various theories and models.

ramollari
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Has anyone heard about this book? Is it good? I have the 1977 editition. I also have another question: what has changed in biological theory and research since then? Regards.
 
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Never heard of the book. You ask what has changed since then? I can tell you what has changed in the last five years and that is already a lot! :eek: Things that were very hard to do back then are peanuts now, PCR was not even discovered until 1985.. it would be nice to have a timeline with the major discoveries, but the best I could find is this http://www.heumann.org/u1/timeline.html
 
ramollari said:
I also have another question: what has changed in biological theory and research since then? Regards.


I believe the most revolutionary concept in Biology since 1977 is that due to Stuart Kaufmann and the Santa Fe Group dealing with "emergent" behavior and self-organizing properties of biological systems: Termite mounds is the usual example. They don't know what they're building yet they build marvelously complex clay cathedrals. The mound is an "emergent" property of the interactions of termite, mud, and pheromone. Extending "emergent behavior" to other areas in Biology has profound consequences in regards to the evolution of life and it's myriad expressions of form.

Let me make a plug: "Self-Organization in Biological Systems" by Scott Camazine, et.al. This is a revolution in Biology!
 
saltydog said:
I believe the most revolutionary concept in Biology since 1977 is that due to Stuart Kaufmann and the Santa Fe Group dealing with "emergent" behavior and self-organizing properties of biological systems: Termite mounds is the usual example. They don't know what they're building yet they build marvelously complex clay cathedrals. The mound is an "emergent" property of the interactions of termite, mud, and pheromone. Extending "emergent behavior" to other areas in Biology has profound consequences in regards to the evolution of life and it's myriad expressions of form.

Let me make a plug: "Self-Organization in Biological Systems" by Scott Camazine, et.al. This is a revolution in Biology!

Yes, emergence is a new treatment of behavior in Biology and exactly the same concepts are being used in Artificial Intelligence. But when I see a contemporary book on Biology, usually the concepts have remained the same, except a more advanced treatment of the Immune System and of DNA/protein synthesis/Genetics.
 
ramollari said:
Yes, emergence is a new treatment of behavior in Biology and exactly the same concepts are being used in Artificial Intelligence. But when I see a contemporary book on Biology, usually the concepts have remained the same, except a more advanced treatment of the Immune System and of DNA/protein synthesis/Genetics.

Hello Ramollari.

You know, I was hoping others would comment on what they think is the most revolutionary concept in Biology in the past 30 years. I suppose Punctuated Equilibrium is another one.

Edit: You know, I'm not really sure he conceived this during the interim period or before 1977.
 
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