...Essay Nonheritable Cellular Variability Accelerates the Evolutionary Processes of Cancer Steven A. Frank1,2*, Marsha Rich Rosner3 1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California, United States of America, 2 Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, 3 Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America Summary: Recent cancer studies emphasize that genetic and heritable epigenetic changes drive the evolutionary rate of cancer progression and drug resistance. We discuss the ways in which nonheritable aspects of cellular variability may significantly increase evolutionary rate. Nonheritable variability arises by stochastic fluctuations in cells and by physiological responses of cells to the environment. New approaches to drug design may be required to control nonheritable variability and the evolution of resistance to chemotherapy. Cancer progression is a series of evolutionary changes. Those changes include enhanced cellular proliferation, reduced cellular death by abrogating normal apoptotic mechanisms, greater invasiveness by increased expression of proteases, and improved colonizing ability to achieve metastasis [1]. In response to drug treatment, cancer cells often evolve resistance and continue to spread. Each evolutionary step typically proceeds by acquisition of genetic or heritable epigenetic changes...
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...theory of biological evolution: an expanded synthesis Published online: 17 March 2004 Springer-Verlag 2004 Abstract In 1858, two naturalists, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, independently proposed natural selection as the basic mechanism responsible for the origin of new phenotypic variants and, ultimately, new species. A large body of evidence for this hypothesis was published in Darwin’s Origin of Species one year later, the appearance of which provoked other leading scientists like August Weismann to adopt and amplify Darwin’s perspective. Weismann’s neo-Darwinian theory of evolution was further elaborated, most notably in a series of books by Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ernst Mayr, Julian Huxley and others. In this article we first summarize the history of life on Earth and provide recent evidence demonstrating that Darwin’s dilemma (the apparent missing Precambrian record of life) has been resolved. Next, the historical development and structure of the “modern synthesis” is described within the context of the following topics: paleobiology and rates of evolution, mass extinctions and species selection, macroevolution and punctuated equilibrium, sexual reproduction and recombination, sexual selection and altruism, endosymbiosis and eukaryotic cell evolution, evolutionary developmental biology, phenotypic plasticity, epigenetic inheritance and molecular evolution, experimental bacterial evolution, and computer simulations (in silico evolution of digital organisms)...
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...Christians and Stewardship of Their Environment 1. Introduction Our earthly habitat is not an unexpected occurrence of little worth, but rather, it is one to be highly valued and preserved. The biblical doctrine of creation helps the Christian to understand the true significance of the world in order to deal with the environmental crisis. The Bible says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited…” (King James Version, Isaiah 45:18). In Christian teaching, God not only created Heavens and Earth, but expressed His delight in His creation. This creation meant, everything encompassing the trees, the rivers and all kinds of elements that go into preserving the environment (Genesis 1:31). Therefore, the destruction of the environment is against God’s will. The main problem in the stewardship model is the fall of mankind into a state of sin and depravity (Genesis 3). As a result of the fall, we are in rebellion against God. We no longer act as the stewards we ought to be regarding the earth and its resources. Therefore, we tend towards exploitation and abuse. In addition, the earth has been cursed as a result of the fall (Romans 8:20; Genesis 3:17-18). Action Institute expressed it this way; “Nature now produces floods, fires, earthquakes, weeds, and crop destroying insects (“A Biblical Perspective on Environmental Stewardship”). This...
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...Future Statement Genetic Engineering is in its infancy stage today. We have grasped the concept of it, but implementing all but the most simple of changes is still beyond us. I see many options in this field. From modifying our cells to resist diseases and cancer, to merging our DNA with the DNA of animals. The way I see things unfolding, keeping in mind how society is like today, only the people who make a decent amount of money can afford to get their DNA modified the way they want. Diseases will never go away due to new unforeseen possibilities. Athletes will have modified their DNA to add the strength ratio of a chimp or gorilla to be better at sports. With the rate at how long it takes the majority of the people to accept a new way of life (look at gay rights for example), buy the time the masses can change their DNA, they would have many rules and regulations up and running to make sure people can’t abuse the new found power. In fact by that time there will be failsafe’s added so a criminal can’t go on a warpath and kill thousands of innocent people. Businesses will use it to their advantage as well. If you need a security guard for the night shift, why not give him night vision on top of anything else that would be needed. We could finally explore the planet in its entirety due to being able to adapt to any place on it. Even with all the possible good, the down side to this is possible mutations. We could be no longer considered human. We could even go as far as losing...
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...understanding of human nature as it relates to business, culture and productivity all of which I intend to prove throughout this reaction paper. Let’s examine physical psychology in more depth. Research has provided us with information suggesting that a person is born with certain abilities as it relates to the make-up of the brain, nerves, hormones and other physical factors. These items collectively create our psychological core of which sets limits as to how much information we can process. In other words, when we are born we’re “hard-wired” with a certain capacity to process and interpret information at some level. According to Nicolson (1998), humans are hard-wired due our drive for survival which stems from Darwin’s theory of evolution. This theory suggests that human nature, or life for that matter, all stems from the human ability to naturally evolve for survival and efficiency over the span of our existence. Aligned is the theory of natural selection which specifies that nature will automatically work to eliminate weak or mutant genes which in turn leads to the stronger, healthier and smarter...
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...point of views about the Earth's geology. Dr. Mortenson touched basis on how the geology was debated by different groups, Christian and non Christian scientists and what their beliefs are concerning how the universe was created. Summary This article basically informs the readers of the contents of the old earth geology theory. The debate that Dr. Mortenson discusses in this article has been around for some time, but many people do not know that it exist. The repercussions of this article is shown throughout this whole debate, basically because the theories does not consider God as the creator of the universe. From the "new Theories about the History of Creation", during the 18th century, the French scientists concluded that the earth evolution was the result of a collision between the sun and a comet. During the 19 century, the Scriptural Geologist believed in the biblical account of the "six day creation". These four Scottish men were of strong Christian faith and Journal Article Review 3 respected character. Because Christianity played a strong role in how and why people believed. This is probably why the old earth theory was in such a great debate. Strengths of the Article Dr. Terry Mortenson explained each of the theories to give a basic understanding of each and how it was created. When describing each one, he gave important...
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...Evolution of Finches on Darwin and Wallace Islands INTRODUCTION The Evolution Lab simulates environmental situations to determine effects on evolution over periods of time. This lab experiments with the evolution of finches on two different islands over 100, 200, and 300 years. By manipulating parameters that influence natural selection, the effects that natural selection have on the evolution process can be studied. HYPOTHESES • The size of the island will influence the population. • The amount of precipitation will influence beak size. • The larger the clutch the higher the population over time MATERIALS The materials needed for this experiment consist of a computer and access to the Evolution Lab on the University of Phoenix student website. In the Evolution Lab there are two islands, Darwin Island and Wallace Island. There are seven variables that can be changed to run many different experiments on both islands. The variables are beak size, variance of beak size, heritability, clutch size, island size, population, and precipitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Evolution Lab provides many variables. The user can change the following: beak size, variance of beak size in the population, heritability of the mid parent beak size, clutch size, island size, population of the finches to start the experiment, and precipitation on the island as it affects the hardness of seeds.. All of the numerous combinations of variables, set for two different islands lends...
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...Psychology Perspective Darla Houston AIU Online Abstract In this paper I will be discussing the similarities and differences between the three different Psychology Perspectives or specific theories of early Psychology. One theory used will be Structuralism. Another theory used in this paper will be the Functionalism. And lastly the Evolutionary theory will be used. This paper will explain three to four differences between each of the three theories listed and reviewed facts and see how one of these theories is superior to the others or that all three are comparable or equal. The thesis for this essay is “No matter how careful evolution, structuralism, and functionalism are examined, there is no evidence that these will not change in the future” Psychology Perspectives Structuralism, Functionalism, and Evolutionary theories each have similarities and differences among them. Both Structuralism and functionalism reflect the fact that consciousness is the subject matter, but both differ in how each should be studied. Evolutionary theory has potential to integrate conceptual approaches to study behavioral development for human adaption in both humans and animals which Structuralism and Functionalism stem form. Structuralism has many mental processes that are broken down into basic components. Functionalism forms a reaction to Structuralism which focuses on the purpose of both consciousness and behavior and emphasizes individual differences. Influenced by Darwin’s...
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...Questions: 1) What could account for the reversal against expectation? Answer: size of the mainland pool of species, lack of differences in dispersal ability among the mainland species, and competition between species. 2) Why aren’t all species equal in the larger context? Answer: Some species live in much greater jeopardy of extinction than others. The rare species, the highly specialized species, the less competitive species, and the species having low aptitude for dispersal and colonization, all these species might be missing from a reserve system if the reserves were numerous but small. 3) Why should the number of extinctions be inversely related to reverse size? Answer: reserve size will determine population size for each species and small populations face special jeopardizes. 4) How should the equilibrium number of species on a large reserve? Answer: It should be greater than the equilibrium number on a small reserve, but it doesn’t distinguish between a large reserve full of common species and a large reserve full of rare species. 5) Why did Diamond think that the theory of Simberloff has some mistakes? Answer: Simberloff’s reasoning from their assumptions is correct but minimizes or ignores much more important conservation problems. Because those indifferent to biological conservation may seize on Simberloff’s report as scientific evidence that large refuges are not needed, it is important to understand the flaws in their reasoning. 6)...
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...Mendel on Patterns of Inheritance Gregor Mendel, a monk, well read in natural sciences (Pruitt & Underwood, 2006, p. 64), wanted to answer the unanswered questions that stemmed from Darwin’s theory about heredity. He chose to study the pea plant to gain knowledge about how heredity works. Mendel’s success is contributed to the way he chose to conduct his experiments. Mendel decided to keep his control group small, unlike many of his colleagues, focusing on only seven traits. He kept excellent records of all of the results of the experiments and his choice to study the pea plant, “an organism that can be easily manipulated in breeding experiments” (Pruitt & Underwood, 2006, p. 64) proved to be a good move. Mendel also used “mathematical analysis” (Pruitt & Underwood, 2006, p. 64), an uncommon approach in his day, for showing results of the experiments. A few of Mendel’s discovered six major principles about heredity from his research. An example of one of his principles states that for every gene there are two factors or alleles, “the different forms a gene might take” (Pruitt & Underwood, 2006, p. 68). If an organism has two alike alleles for a specific trait the organism is considered homozygous for that trait; homo meaning the same. On the flip side, if an organism has two alleles that are different then the organism is considered heterozygous for that trait; hetero meaning different (Pruitt...
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...Plants and gardens have a greater purpose than simply to be an eye catching source of food. While mainstream medicine largely continues to deny the inherent healing capacity of natural plants and herbs, the insect world is abuzz with activities that confirm the plant world to be nature's medicine cabinet. According to a new study published in the journal Ecology Letters, the Monarch butterfly routinely uses medicinal plants to help its offspring resist disease and infection. Researchers observed that Monarch butterflies prefer to lay their egg larvae on milkweed leaves, so they decided to investigate why this is the case. They discovered that milkweed plants contain vital compounds that help the larvae to stay healthy. "We have shown that some species of milkweed, the larva's food plants, can reduce parasite infection in monarchs," explained Jaap de Roode, an evolutionary biologist at Emory University, and author of the study. "[W]e have also found that infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on plants that will make their offspring less sick." There are many types of milkweed plants, and some contain very high levels of cardenolides. Cardenolides are toxic to predators, but safe for Monarch butterflies. So when Monarch butterflies eat milkweed rich in the chemical, or lay their larvae on it, they build up a natural resistance to invading predators. The same chemical also helps to stop parasites that can develop in the butterflies' intestines and kill them...
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...EVOLVING EVOLUTION Bejarasco, Aubrey Jayl A. BS Biology IV April 21,2012 Earth: only habitat that sustains LIFE, where number and variety of plants is astonishing. How can we make sense of such a huge range of living organism? Holy bible, explain how this wonderful diversity came about as shown in the movie; how God created the Earth, how Adan came into life and how Eve was created from his ribs, as then God said to them: “go and multiply”. This was the Theory of Creation, but a hundreds of years later, a man was born to explain this astonishing diversity of life, which revolutionized the way everyone sees the world—Charles Darwin. On 1931, HMS Beagle, set off to tour around the world, on board was Charles Darwin, in his 5years journey he was amaze by the diversity he was able to witnessed, that in 1 day he was able to collect 69 different kinds of beetles, enough to disturbed the composure of entomologist’s mind. In addition to that, Darwin also noticed the distinction of plants and animals in the Galapagos Islands and Cape Verde Islands. There came the dilemma: “could it be that species were not fixed at all time, could it be in fact slowly change?” Problem of natural history: how could one species turn to one another? Key: only the fittest survive hence, “natural selection”. In a moment of insight he had solved the species question. Darwin illustrate this in his collection of birds which has same characteristic except their beaks of finches...
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...Social evolution is the study of applying evolutionary logic to explain the change of mankind and animal lifestyles and behaviors. Human behavior has changed from the beginning of time to the present time. All the topics I have learned about in lecture are very interesting because I discovered things that I never knew. Also, I learn why some animals and humans behave the way they do and the reasons behind it. However the most interesting topic for me was kin selection because I found it exciting and surprising how degree of relatedness works with human selection. Kin selection is an evolutionary theory that pronounces that people are most likely to choose people who share similar genes or are blood related because it will increase the odds of gene transmission to future generations. I found this topic intriguing because when I compared it to my life, it made complete sense. Kin selection explains why family tends to be more altruistic to each other than to others. The reason behind this is because that behavior leads to having the chance of increasing inclusive fitness, which is the number of offspring an individual will produce. I’ve noticed this to be true in many situations that I have encountered in my life. For example, humans behave more altruistically to their family in many ways. Some families live in the vicinity of each other, which means they want to stay close to each other. Their degree of relatedness must be high. Also, people give more importance to family than...
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...Criticial Thinking Questions Chapter 3 Question 3: The principle to uniformitarianism is the "past is the key to the present". This essentially means that scientist are essentially able to hypothesize about what happened in the past with the materials and processes available or seen today. One example of this is being able to determine that sandstone most likely derived from sand dunes millions of years ago. As the obvious wind patterns in both the stone and the sand are very similar. Chapter 3 Question 5 Geological processes affect everything here on Earth and most certainly humans and our way of life. Whether we speak of the damages of earthquakes and volcanoes or the environmental effects on oil and water.They can affect our lives in most all things determining where to get our drinking water essential for life or where we should or shouldn't build a home. Geological processes affect the weather, the climate and the overall stability of our planet. Chapter 2 Question 1 The minerals on Mars, the moon, Venus and Earth would all be very similar based on the fact that they were all swirling balls of dust and gas and formed at relatively the same time due to a cosmic collision. Chapter 2 Question 3 As a liquid water is not a mineral because it is not a solid. Beach sand is not a mineral because it is made up of organic material usch as shells and coral. A diamond is a mineral as it fits the definition of a mineral. A vitamin pill is not a mineral as it is made by humans. A...
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...argument. For example, the Big Bang theory tries to explain the origin of the universe because studies in astrophysics have clearly shown that indeed the universe had a beginning (Hatcher, 1994). In addition, the Charles Darwin’s theory also tries to explain the origin of man by suggesting that the human race as it exists today originated from a single cell to a complex being (Hatcher, 1994). However, some of these theories contain inconsistencies that may explain the existence of God. To prove the existence of God, one has to look at the observable phenomena such as the complexity of the universe, laws of nature and inconsistencies in proposed theories. The complexity of the universe suggests the presence of a Supreme Being. While the evolution theory tried to explain the origin of man, it failed to provide substantial evidence on the complexity of the human being (Hatcher, 1994). In fact, the theory suggests that a human being evolved from a single cell organism. However, the complexity of the human brain and the nervous system may suggest otherwise due to its structure. The human being is one the most complex being in the universe. This suggests the involvement of the Supreme Being in the creation process rather than a random process that is directed by natural pressures as Darwin’s theory suggests (Hatcher, 1994). These pressures as defined by Darwin cannot be so precise in creating such a complex being. The inconsistency of theories that suggest how the...
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