The realization that body parts of animals and plants can be recruited or coopted for novel functions dates back to, or even predates the observations of Darwin. S.J. Gould and E.S. Vrba recognized a mode of evolution...The realization that body parts of animals and plants can be recruited or coopted for novel functions dates back to, or even predates the observations of Darwin. S.J. Gould and E.S. Vrba recognized a mode of evolution of characters that differs from adaptation. The umbrella term aptation was supplemented with the concept of exaptation. Unlike adaptations, which are restricted to features built by selection for their current role, exaptations are features that currently enhance fitness, even though their present role was not a result of natural selection. Exaptations can also arise from nonaptations; these are characters which had previously been evolving neutrally. All nonaptations are potential exaptations. The concept of exaptation was expanded to the molecular genetic level which aided greatly in understanding the enormous potential of neutrally evolving repetitive DNA—including transposed elements, formerly considered junk DNA—for the evolution of genes and genomes. The distinction between adaptations and exaptations is outlined in this review and examples are given. Also elaborated on is the fact that such distinctions are sometimes more difficult to determine; this is a widespread phenomenon in biology, where continua abound and clear borders between states and definitions are rare.展开更多
My goal in this paper is to respond to the objection that naturalistic accounts of morality miss the thicker meaning with which we normally imbue ethics. I concur. This should lead us to doubt our thicker concepts, ho...My goal in this paper is to respond to the objection that naturalistic accounts of morality miss the thicker meaning with which we normally imbue ethics. I concur. This should lead us to doubt our thicker concepts, however, not doubt moral genealogy. Our thicker conceptions are hyperbolic, at best. The underlying algorithm of morality is the evolutionarily stable strategy： conditional cooperation. The content of such agreements can vary, however, and that is where moral hyperbole resides. Still, we like to distinguish good hyperbole from bad hyperbole, but the only standard for such appraisal is whether the hyperbole is consistent with the social glue of evolutionary dynamics.展开更多
As an advanced theory of evolution,neo-Darwinism broadens the concept of Darwinism,in which natural selection intervenes to ensure that those genes that best meet the need for adaptation to the environment are conserv...As an advanced theory of evolution,neo-Darwinism broadens the concept of Darwinism,in which natural selection intervenes to ensure that those genes that best meet the need for adaptation to the environment are conserved in the genetic background.Culture,which in human beings contributes to biological adaptation,is the sum of all the knowledge and technical innovation deriving from individual practical contributions handed down from one generation to the next,continuously influencing and changing biological life.As an unforeseen mechanism of adaptation,culture has enabled human beings to survive and to adapt to situations of environmental change and crisis.Indeed,climate change determines both cultural and genetic changes.The deterioration of the climate can have a significant impact on the spread of infectious diseases,to the point that the random mutation of a virus,such as SARS-Cov2 can easily result in a pandemic.We have violated biological ecosystems,destroying the environment and the communities that inhabit it.Spillover is what happens when an agent of disease,be it a virus or a bacterium,for any of a number of reasons,passes from one species to another,generating a zoonosis,i.e.,an infectious agent that can affect human beings.The mechanisms of biological evolution act on them rapidly,generating new biological potential and transforming spillovers into pandemics.We need to invest in multidisciplinary scientific and technological research,which entails interaction between various fields of knowledge including ecological,meteorological,anthropological,cultural,medical,and environmental.All these disciplines are closely connected to each other and to the health of animals,human beings,and ecosystems,and it is only by coordinating them that we can hope to respond rapidly to the new health and environmental emergencies and provide political decision-makers with correct information that can protect the human population from decline and extinction.展开更多
文摘The realization that body parts of animals and plants can be recruited or coopted for novel functions dates back to, or even predates the observations of Darwin. S.J. Gould and E.S. Vrba recognized a mode of evolution of characters that differs from adaptation. The umbrella term aptation was supplemented with the concept of exaptation. Unlike adaptations, which are restricted to features built by selection for their current role, exaptations are features that currently enhance fitness, even though their present role was not a result of natural selection. Exaptations can also arise from nonaptations; these are characters which had previously been evolving neutrally. All nonaptations are potential exaptations. The concept of exaptation was expanded to the molecular genetic level which aided greatly in understanding the enormous potential of neutrally evolving repetitive DNA—including transposed elements, formerly considered junk DNA—for the evolution of genes and genomes. The distinction between adaptations and exaptations is outlined in this review and examples are given. Also elaborated on is the fact that such distinctions are sometimes more difficult to determine; this is a widespread phenomenon in biology, where continua abound and clear borders between states and definitions are rare.
文摘My goal in this paper is to respond to the objection that naturalistic accounts of morality miss the thicker meaning with which we normally imbue ethics. I concur. This should lead us to doubt our thicker concepts, however, not doubt moral genealogy. Our thicker conceptions are hyperbolic, at best. The underlying algorithm of morality is the evolutionarily stable strategy： conditional cooperation. The content of such agreements can vary, however, and that is where moral hyperbole resides. Still, we like to distinguish good hyperbole from bad hyperbole, but the only standard for such appraisal is whether the hyperbole is consistent with the social glue of evolutionary dynamics.
文摘As an advanced theory of evolution,neo-Darwinism broadens the concept of Darwinism,in which natural selection intervenes to ensure that those genes that best meet the need for adaptation to the environment are conserved in the genetic background.Culture,which in human beings contributes to biological adaptation,is the sum of all the knowledge and technical innovation deriving from individual practical contributions handed down from one generation to the next,continuously influencing and changing biological life.As an unforeseen mechanism of adaptation,culture has enabled human beings to survive and to adapt to situations of environmental change and crisis.Indeed,climate change determines both cultural and genetic changes.The deterioration of the climate can have a significant impact on the spread of infectious diseases,to the point that the random mutation of a virus,such as SARS-Cov2 can easily result in a pandemic.We have violated biological ecosystems,destroying the environment and the communities that inhabit it.Spillover is what happens when an agent of disease,be it a virus or a bacterium,for any of a number of reasons,passes from one species to another,generating a zoonosis,i.e.,an infectious agent that can affect human beings.The mechanisms of biological evolution act on them rapidly,generating new biological potential and transforming spillovers into pandemics.We need to invest in multidisciplinary scientific and technological research,which entails interaction between various fields of knowledge including ecological,meteorological,anthropological,cultural,medical,and environmental.All these disciplines are closely connected to each other and to the health of animals,human beings,and ecosystems,and it is only by coordinating them that we can hope to respond rapidly to the new health and environmental emergencies and provide political decision-makers with correct information that can protect the human population from decline and extinction.
