The Nature of Difference

The Nature of Difference

Author: George Ellison

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2006-04-19

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 1420004174

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Unprecedented advances in genetics and biotechnology have brought profound new insights into human biological variation. These present challenges and opportunities for understanding the origins of human nature, the nature of difference, and the social practices these sustain. This provides an opportunity for cooperation between the biological and s


Political Biology

Political Biology

Author: M. Meloni

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-05-25

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 1137377720

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This book explores the socio-political implications of human heredity from the second half of the nineteenth century to the present postgenomic moment. It addresses three main phases in the politicization of heredity: the peak of radical eugenics (1900-1945), characterized by an aggressive ethos of supporting the transformation of human society via biological knowledge; the repositioning, after 1945, of biological thinking into a liberal-democratic, human rights framework; and the present postgenomic crisis in which the genome can no longer be understood as insulated from environmental signals. In Political Biology, Maurizio Meloni argues that thanks to the ascendancy of epigenetics we may be witnessing a return to soft heredity - the idea that these signals can cause changes in biology that are themselves transferable to succeeding generations. This book will be of great interest to scholars across science and technology studies, the philosophy and history of science, and political and social theory.


Designing Human Practices

Designing Human Practices

Author: Paul Rabinow

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2012-05-21

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 0226703150

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In 2006 anthropologists Paul Rabinow and Gaymon Bennett set out to rethink the role that human sciences play in biological research, creating the Human Practices division of the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center—a facility established to create design standards for the engineering of new enzymes, genetic circuits, cells, and other biological entities—to formulate a new approach to the ethical, security, and philosophical considerations of controversial biological work. They sought not simply to act as watchdogs but to integrate the biosciences with their own discipline in a more fundamentally interdependent way, inventing a new, dynamic, and experimental anthropology that they could bring to bear on the center’s biological research. Designing Human Practices is a detailed account of this anthropological experiment and, ultimately, its rejection. It provides new insights into the possibilities and limitations of collaboration, and diagnoses the micro-politics which effectively constrained the potential for mutual scientific flourishing. Synthesizing multiple disciplines, including biology, genetics, anthropology, and philosophy, alongside a thorough examination of funding entities such as the National Science Foundation, Designing Human Practices pushes the social study of science into new and provocative territory, utilizing a real-world experience as a springboard for timely reflections on how the human and life sciences can and should transform each other.


Social Information Transmission and Human Biology

Social Information Transmission and Human Biology

Author: Jonathan CK Wells

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2006-05-22

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 1420005839

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Recent research has emphasized that socially transmitted information may affect both the gene pool and the phenotypes of individuals and populations, and that an improved understanding of evolutionary issues is beneficial to those working towards the improvement of human health. In response to a growing interest across disciplines for information regarding the contribution of social behavior to a range of biological outcomes, Social Information Transmission and Human Biology connects the work of evolutionary theorists and those dealing with practical issues in human health and demographics. Combining evolutionary models with biomedical research, authors from various disciplines look at how human behavior influences health, and how reproductive fitness sheds light on the processes that shaped the evolution of human behavior. Both academic and medical researchers will find much useful insight in this text.


Human Biology

Human Biology

Author: Daniel D. Chiras

Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Learning

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 534

ISBN-13: 9780763728991

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Intended for non-majors, this textbook describes the structure and functions of each human body system, explores the body processes that regulate chemical levels in the blood and body temperature, and overviews genetics, human reproduction, and evolution. The fifth edition trims the overall length by 20% while adding short essays on past scientific


Biology at Work

Biology at Work

Author: Kingsley R. Browne

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2002-06-06

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 0813542472

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Does biology help explain why women, on average, earn less money than men? Is there any evolutionary basis for the scarcity of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies? According to Kingsley Browne, the answer may be yes. Biology at Work brings an evolutionary perspective to bear on issues of women in the workplace: the "glass ceiling," the "gender gap" in pay, sexual harassment, and occupational segregation. While acknowledging the role of discrimination and sexist socialization, Browne suggests that until we factor real biological differences between men and women into the equation, the explanation remains incomplete. Browne looks at behavioral differences between men and women as products of different evolutionary pressures facing them throughout human history. Womens biological investment in their offspring has led them to be on average more nurturing and risk averse, and to value relationships over competition. Men have been biologically rewarded, over human history, for displays of strength and skill, risk taking, and status acquisition. These behavioral differences have numerous workplace consequences. Not surprisingly, sex differences in the drive for status lead to sex differences in the achievement of status. Browne argues that decision makers should recognize that policies based on the assumption of a single androgynous human nature are unlikely to be successful. Simply removing barriers to inequality will not achieve equality, as women and men typically value different things in the workplace and will make different workplace choices based on their different preferences. Rather than simply putting forward the "nature" side of the debate, Browne suggests that dichotomies such as nature/nurture have impeded our understanding of the origins of human behavior. Through evolutionary biology we can understand not only how natural selection has created predispositions toward certain types of behavior but also how the social environment interacts with these predispositions to produce observed behavioral patterns.


Quantitative Human Physiology

Quantitative Human Physiology

Author: Joseph J Feher

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2017-01-02

Total Pages: 1023

ISBN-13: 0128011548

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Quantitative Human Physiology: An Introduction, winner of a 2018 Textbook Excellence Award (Texty), is the first text to meet the needs of the undergraduate bioengineering student who is being exposed to physiology for the first time, but requires a more analytical/quantitative approach. This book explores how component behavior produces system behavior in physiological systems. Through text explanation, figures, and equations, it provides the engineering student with a basic understanding of physiological principles with an emphasis on quantitative aspects. - Winner of a 2018 Textbook Excellence Award (College) (Texty) from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association - Features a quantitative approach that includes physical and chemical principles - Provides a more integrated approach from first principles, integrating anatomy, molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology - Includes clinical applications relevant to the biomedical engineering student (TENS, cochlear implants, blood substitutes, etc.) - Integrates labs and problem sets to provide opportunities for practice and assessment throughout the course NEW FOR THE SECOND EDITION - Expansion of many sections to include relevant information - Addition of many new figures and re-drawing of other figures to update understanding and clarify difficult areas - Substantial updating of the text to reflect newer research results - Addition of several new appendices including statistics, nomenclature of transport carriers, and structural biology of important items such as the neuromuscular junction and calcium release unit - Addition of new problems within the problem sets - Addition of commentary to power point presentations


Meiosis and Gametogenesis

Meiosis and Gametogenesis

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 1997-11-24

Total Pages: 447

ISBN-13: 0080584608

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In spite of the fact that the process of meiosis is fundamental to inheritance, surprisingly little is understood about how it actually occurs. There has recently been a flurry of research activity in this area and this volume summarizes the advances coming from this work. All authors are recognized and respected research scientists at the forefront of research in meiosis. Of particular interest is the emphasis in this volume on meiosis in the context of gametogenesis in higher eukaryotic organisms, backed up by chapters on meiotic mechanisms in other model organisms. The focus is on modern molecular and cytological techniques and how these have elucidated fundamental mechanisms of meiosis. Authors provide easy access to the literature for those who want to pursue topics in greater depth, but reviews are comprehensive so that this book may become a standard reference.Key Features* Comprehensive reviews that, taken together, provide up-to-date coverage of a rapidly moving field* Features new and unpublished information* Integrates research in diverse organisms to present an overview of common threads in mechanisms of meiosis* Includes thoughtful consideration of areas for future investigation


Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health

Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2001-07-02

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 0309132975

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It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers.