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By combining excerpts from key historical writings with editors’ introductions and further reading material, Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology offers a comprehensive, accessible, and up-to-date collection of the field’s most significant works.

• Addresses central questions such as ‘What is life?’ and ‘How did it begin?’, and the most current research and arguments on evolution and developmental biology
• Editorial notes throughout the text define, clarify, and qualify ideas, concepts and arguments
• Includes material on evolutionary psychology and evolutionary developmental biology not found in other standard philosophy of biology anthologies
• Further reading material assists novices in delving deeper into research in philosophy of biology

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent with only a few carps
Wouold have liked brief particulars on the authors in one place (where they teach; their websites to consult for further reading, etc.) Some articles, like the last one on units of selection, seem a little pushy about where this particular field is going as if saying "Jump on board [e.g., the reaction train pulling out of the gene-based selection station] we're leaving." On the other hand, the selection of articles neither slights points of view nor soft-pedals the tendencies of this field to de jour theory modifications. ... Read more

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Abstract and conceptual models have become an indispensable tool for analyzing the flood of highly detailed empirical data generated in recent years by advanced techniques in the biosciences. Scientists are developing new modeling strategies for analyzing data, integrating results into the conceptual framework of theoretical biology, and formulating new hypotheses. In Modeling Biology, leading scholars investigate new modeling strategies in the domains of morphology, development, behavior, and evolution.

The emphasis on models in the biological sciences has been accompanied by a new focus on conceptual issues and a more complex understanding of epistemological concepts. Contributors to Modeling Biology discuss models and modeling strategies from the perspectives of philosophy, history, and applied mathematics. Individual chapters discuss specific approaches to modeling in such domains as biological form, development, and behavior. Finally, the book addresses the modeling of these properties in the context of evolution, with a particular emphasis on the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology (or evo-devo).

Contributors:
Giorgio A. Ascoli, Chandrajit Bajaj, James P. Collins, Luciano da Fontoura Costa, Kerstin Dautenhahn, Nigel R. Franks, Scott Gilbert, Marta Ibañes Miguez, Juan Carlos Izpisúa-Belmonte, Alexander S. Klyubin, Thomas J. Koehnle, Manfred D. Laubichler, Sabina Leonelli, James A. R. Marshall, George R. McGhee Jr., Gerd B. Müller, Chrystopher L. Nehaniv, Karl J. Niklas, Lars Olsson, Eirikur Palsson, Daniel Polani, Diego Rasskin Gutman, Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Alexei V. Samsonovich, Jeffrey C. Schank, Harry B. M. Uylings, Jaap van Pelt, and Iain Werry ... Read more

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The large amount of information on fish reproduction available is not always readily accessible to all interested parties. Written to appeal to aquaculturalists, conservation managers, and scientific researchers, Methods in Reproductive Aquaculture provides an overview of available techniques and addresses ways to improve depleted stocks of endangered fish and other species.

The book focuses on gamete quality and management, exploring new objectives and areas of application and research, and new tools to deal with some aspects in reproduction of aquatic species. It begins with an examination of basic methods and techniques for gamete extraction, mainly sperm collection and egg stripping in different species, then describes techniques of spawning stimulation in males and females. The volume then highlights sperm and egg quality evaluation and considers sperm analysis from a practical broodstock management point of view and in the selection of appropriate breeders. The book goes on to discuss techniques used for artificial fertilization and the procedures for obtaining modified offspring. It introduces cryopreservation procedures for sperm, oocytes, and embryos, then discusses the materials and facilities required for gamete preparation and freezing-thawing procedures. The book concludes with an extensive section detailing sperm cryopreservation protocols for fifty-six marine and freshwater species.

Unique in its focus on both marine and freshwater aquaculture of fishes, the book provides information on endangered, highly profitable species for aquaculture or fisheries and species with high potential in laboratory research. Presenting the available information in an easily understandable way, this is not merely a techniques book, but also a complete guide to fish reproduction, gamete quality, and management.

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Developmental Neuroscience is one of the six core disciplines in Neuroscience, and yet no single volume, non-textbook reference exists on the market that provides researchers with more in-depth, high-level information on developmental neurobiology.  Currently, anyone interested in the field at a higher level must sift through review articles published frequently and the more specific handbooks that focus on aspects of development rather than the field as a whole.

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Philosophers of science have tended to avoid the problem of "development" by focusing primarily on evolutionary biology and, more recently, on molecular biology and genetics. Jason Scott Robert explores the nature of development as it relates to current concepts in biological theory and practice and analyzes the interrelations between development and evolution (evo-devo), an area of resurgent biological inquiry. ... Read more

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Computational structural biology has made tremendous progress over the last two decades, and this book provides a recent and broad overview of such computational methods in structural biology. It covers the impact of computational structural biology on protein structure prediction methods, macromolecular function and protein design, and key methods in drug discovery. It also addresses the computational challenges of experimental approaches in structural biology. In addition to reviewing the current state of computational structural biology, each chapter ends with a brief, visionary discussion on the future outlook, whereby the main challenges for the coming years are elucidated. Written by an international panel of expert contributors, this book can serve as a reference manual for students and practitioners alike.

Contents: Structure Prediction and Assessment Methods: Protein Fold Recognition and Threading (L J McGuffin); Assessment of Protein Structure Predictions (E Capriotti & M A Marti-Renom); From Structure to Function to Design: Evolution of Protein Folds (A N Lupas & K K Koretke); Atomistic Simulations of Reactions and Transition States (M Meuwly); Protein Protein Interactions and Aggregation Processes (R I Dima); Drug Discovery and Pharmacology: MD-Based Free Energy Simulations (M A Cuendet et al.); Structure-Based Computational Approaches to Drug Metabolism (M A Lill); New Frontiers in Experimental Methods: New Frontiers in X-ray Crystallography (C U Stirnimann & M G Grütter); New Frontiers in Characterizing Structure and Dynamics by NMR (M Nilges et al.); Selected Topics: Docking for Neglected Diseases as Community Efforts (M Podvinec et al.); Protein Structure Databases (M John et al.); Molecular Graphics in Structural Biology (A M Lesk et al.); and other chapters. ... Read more

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A laboratory manual for developmental biology offering basic, easy to use, laboratory investigations (18 experiments) spanning various models including echinoderm (Sea Urchin), amphibian (Frog), chick embryo, and fern gametophyte. ... Read more

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This volume contains original contributions from an international group of authors with the highest reputations in their respective areas of phylogenetic and reproductive studies on salamanders and newts. A full panoply of topics is covered, from morphology of gametes and reproductive systems to considerations of behavior and life history, all placed in a phylogenetic context. The chapters not only synthesize past literature but also present new observations and indicate directions for future research. This is an essential text for anyone interested in the biology of urodele amphibians. ... Read more

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a must for reproductive biology enthusiasts
as all the works by Barrie Jamieson, this book is a real mine of data. I recommend it to all persons interested not only in reproductive biology, but also in biodiversity studies ... Read more

Product Description
The advent of genome sequencing and associated technologies has transformed biologists' ability to measure important classes of molecules and their interactions. This expanded cellular view has opened the field to thousands of interactions that previously were outside the researchers' reach. The processing and interpretation of these new vast quantities of interconnected data call for sophisticated mathematical models and computational methods. Systems biology meets this need by combining genomic knowledge with theoretical, experimental and computational approaches from a number of traditional scientific disciplines to create a mechanistic explanation of cellular systems and processes.

Systems Biology I: Genomics and Systems Biology II: Networks, Models, and Applications offer a much-needed study of genomic principles and their associated networks and models. Written for a wide audience, each volume presents a timely compendium of essential information that is necessary for a comprehensive study of the subject. The chapters in the two volumes reflect the hierarchical nature of systems biology. Chapter authors-world-recognized experts in their fields-provide authoritative discussions on a wide range of topics along this hierarchy. Volume I explores issues pertaining to genomics that range from prebiotic chemistry to noncoding RNAs. Volume II covers an equally wide spectrum, from mass spectrometry to embryonic stem cells. The two volumes are meant to provide a reliable reference for students and researchers alike. ... Read more

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The State of the Art as it Exists Today
The term 'systems biology' was coined to describe the field of scientific inquiry which takes a global approach to the understanding of cells and the elucidation of biological processes and mechanisms. It is an integrated approach that brings together and leverages theoretical, experimental, and computational approaches in order to establish connections among important molecules or groups of molecules in order to aid the eventual mechanistic explanation of cellular processes and systems.

This is a field that simply did not exist a decade ago, and is the result of the advent of genome sequencing and associated technologies. This has spurred the development of specialized equipment and sophisticated computer programs that have basically developed into its own specialty as well as affecting virtually all aspects of biology.

This series of two books cover the present state of the art in the field by enlisting specialist writers from literally around the world to contribute chapters based on their own expertise and research. As such these volumes are well in advance of anything that can be written by any single individual.

The editors:

Isidore Rigoutsos is manager of Bioinformatics and Pattern Discovery at IBM.

Gregory Stephanopoulos is Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at MIT. ... Read more

Product Description
Although evolutionary developmental biology is a new field, itsorigins lie in the last century; the search for connections betweenembryonic development (ontogeny) and evolutionary change (phylogeny)has been a long one. Evolutionary developmental biology is howevermore than just a fusion of the fields of developmental andevolutionary biology. It forges a unification of genomic,developmental, organismal, population and natural selection approachesto evolutionary change. It is concerned with how developmentalprocesses evolve; how evolution produces novel structures, functionsand behaviours; and how development, evolution and ecology areintegrated to bring about and stabilize evolutionary change.
The previous edition of this title, published in 1992, defined theterms and laid out the field for evolutionary developmental biology.This field is now one of the most active and fast growing withinbiology and this is reflected in this second edition, which is morethan twice the length of the original and brought completely up todate. There are new chapters on major transitions in animal evolution,expanded coverage of comparative embryonic development and theinclusion of recent advances in genetics and molecular biology.
The book is divided into eight parts which:

• place evolutionary developmental biology in the historical context ofthe search for relationships between development and evolution;
• detail the historical background leading to evolutionary embryology;
• explore embryos in development and embryos in evolution;
• discuss the relationship between embryos, evolution, environment andecology;
• discuss the dilemma for homology of the fact thatdevelopment evolves;
• deal with the importance of understandinghow embryos measure time and place both through development andevolutionarily through heterochrony and heterotrophy; and set out theprinciples and processes that underlie evolutionary developmentalbiology.

Product Description
The axolotl, or Mexican salamander, is used in a wide range of biological research, from the study of the regulation of gene expression to pattern formation, neurobiology, and regeneration.This volume offers a short yet comprehensive survey of basic developmental research utilizing the animal, along with practical information for rearing and maintaining the axolotl in a laboratory environment.The book will serve as a useful reference for developmental biologists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An awsome book!
I have read this book and it is awsome! It was very informative and helped me with raising my young axolotl. I found a lot of things that can harm axolotls, some things that I have been puting in the tank. So if you wantyour axolotl to live long than you should buy this book.(My axolotl isgoing on his 7th year!) ... Read more

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From Darwin onward, it has been second nature for evolutionary biologists to think comparatively, because comparisons establish the generality of evolutionary phenomena. Do large genomes slow down development? What lifestyles select for large brains? Are extinction rates related to body size? These are all questions for the comparative method, and this book is about how such questions can be answered. It examines how the comparative method complements other approaches, identifies the biological causes of similarity among species, and discusses methods for reconstructing phylogenetic trees, along with many other topics. The book will interest all students, professionals, and researchers in evolutionary biology, ecology, genetics and related fields. ... Read more

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This landmark publication provides the first definitive account of how and why subtle influences on the fetus and during early life can have such profound consequences for adult health and diseases. Although the epidemiological evidence for this link has long proved compelling, it is only much more recently that the scientific and physiological basis has begun to be studied in depth and fully understood.The compilation, written by many of the world's leading experts in this exciting field, summarizes these scientific and clinical advances. ... Read more

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Highlighting latest advances in genetics and biochemistry, the completely revised Third Edition reviews the field from basic science, clinical, epidemiological, and regulatory perspectives. Contributions from top opinion leaders in the field bring together developments in molecular embryology and cell biology as they apply to problems in developmental toxicology. It covers testing of pharmaceutical and environmental agents and interpretation of developmental toxicology data, highlighting mathematical and statistical techniques, as well as the effects of toxic exposure on the functional development of various organs.

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Drawing on state-of-the-art cellular and molecular techniques as well as new and sophisticated imaging and information technologies, this comprehensive, three-volume collection of cutting-edge protocols provides readily reproducible methods for studying and analyzing the events of embryonic development. Volume 1 (ISBN: 089603-574-3) contains techniques for establishing and characterizing several widely used experimental model systems, for the study of developmental patterns and morphogenesis, and for the examination of embryo structure and function. There are also step-by-step methods for the analaysis of cell lineage, the production and use of chimeras, and the experimental and molecular manipulation of embryos, including the application of viral vectors. Volume 2 (ISBN: 0-89603-575-1) describes state-of-the-art methods for the study of organogenesis, the analysis of abnormal development and teratology, the screening and mapping of novel genes and mutations, and the application of transgenesis, including the production of transgenic animals and gene knockouts. No less innovative, Volume 3 (ISBN: 0-89603-576-X) introduces powerful techniques for the manipulation of developmental gene expression and function, the analysis of gene expression, the characterization of tissue morphogenesis and development, the in vitro study of differentiation and development, and the genetic analysis of developmental models of diseases. Highly practical and richly annotated, the three volumes of Developmental Biology Protocols describe multiple experimental systems and details techniques adopted from the broadest array of biomedical disciplines.
... Read more

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Including many described by the scientists who carried out the original pioneering research, 27 classic experiments in developmental biology provide key insights into developmental questions. They establish a bridge between state-of-the-art experimental work and the laboratory classes taken at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. All chapters follow the same logical format, taking the students from materials and methods, through results and discussion, so that they learn the underlying rationale of the research. ... Read more

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Univ. of Portsmouth, UK. Discusses the molecular and embryological techniques for studying Xenopus and zebrafish. Methods include cellular techniques, quantitative and spatial analysis of mRNA and proteins, and techniques for the expression of gene products in embryos. For students and researchers. Expanded-outline format. ... Read more

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This text is the first to provide a coherent theoretical treatment of the flourishing new field of developmental psychobiology which has arisen in recent years on the crest of exciting advances in evolutionary biology, developmental neuroscience, and dynamic systems theory.Michel and Moore, two of the field's key pioneers and researchers, integrate primary source information from research in both biological and psychological disciplines in a clear account of the frontier of biopsychological investigation and theorizing.Explicitly conceptual and historical, the first three chapters set the stage for a clear understanding of the field and its research, with particular attention to the nature-nurture question. The next three chapters each provide information about a basic subfield in biology (genetics, evolution, embryology) that is particularly relevant for developmental studies of behavior. These are followed by extended treatments of three spheres of inquiry (behavioral embryology, cognitive neuroscience, animal behavior) in terms of how a successful interdisciplinary approach to behavioral development might look. A final chapter comments on some of the unique aspects of development study.From this detailed and clearly organized text, students will achieve a firm grasp of some of science's most fertile questions about the relation between evolution and development, the relation between brain and cognitive development, the value of a natural history approach to animal behavior -- and what it teaches us about humans -- and much more. Each chapter contains material that questions the conventional wisdom held in many subdisciplines of biology and psychology. Throughout, the text challenges students to think creatively as it thoroughly grounds them in the field's approach to such topics as behavioral-genetic analysis, the concept of innateness, molecular genetics and development, neuroembryology, behavioral embryology, maturation, cognition, and ethology.A Bradford Book ... Read more

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What are the agents of life? Central to our conception of the biological world is the idea that it contains various kinds of individuals, including genes, organisms, and species. How we conceive of these agents of life is central to our understanding of the relationship between life and mind, the place of hierarchical thinking in the biological sciences, and pluralistic views of biological agency. Genes and the Agents of Life rethinks the place of the individual in the biological sciences, drawing parallels with the cognitive and social sciences. Genes, organisms, and species are all agents of life, but how are each of these conceptualized within genetics, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, and systematics? The book includes highly accessible discussions of genetic encoding, species and natural kinds, and pluralism above the levels of selection, drawing on work from across the biological sciences. A companion to Boundaries of the Mind, (Cambridge, 2004) where the focus is on the cognitive sciences, this volume will appeal to professionals and students in philosophy, biology, and the history of science.Robert A. Wilson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alberta. He is the author of Cartesian Psychology and Physical Minds (Cambridge, 1995). ... Read more