Sergei Vinogradskii and the Cycle of Life

Sergei Vinogradskii and the Cycle of Life PDF Author: Lloyd Ackert
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400751982
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
This is one of those biographies that provide a window onto the broader understanding of science in its social and cultural context. Using Sergei Nikolaevich Vinogradskii’s career and scientific research trajectory as a point of entry, this book illustrates the manner in which microbiologists, chemists, botanists, and plant physiologists inscribed the concept of a “cycle of life” into their investigations. Their research transformed a longstanding notion into the fundamental approaches and concepts that underlay the new ecological disciplines that emerged in the 1920s. The book presents a reconstruction of significant episodes of Vinogradskii’s laboratory practices and the role of theory in their development. It paints the broader picture of the history of ecology, microbiology and soil science and how these are uniquely united: through the concept of the cycle of life. ​

Sergei Vinogradskii and the Cycle of Life

Sergei Vinogradskii and the Cycle of Life PDF Author: Lloyd Ackert
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400751982
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is one of those biographies that provide a window onto the broader understanding of science in its social and cultural context. Using Sergei Nikolaevich Vinogradskii’s career and scientific research trajectory as a point of entry, this book illustrates the manner in which microbiologists, chemists, botanists, and plant physiologists inscribed the concept of a “cycle of life” into their investigations. Their research transformed a longstanding notion into the fundamental approaches and concepts that underlay the new ecological disciplines that emerged in the 1920s. The book presents a reconstruction of significant episodes of Vinogradskii’s laboratory practices and the role of theory in their development. It paints the broader picture of the history of ecology, microbiology and soil science and how these are uniquely united: through the concept of the cycle of life. ​

Environmental Microbiology

Environmental Microbiology PDF Author: Burl Uhrig
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1365787796
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Environmental microbiology is the study of microbial processes in the environment, microbial communities and microbial interactions. This includes: - Structure and activities of microbial communities - Microbial interactions and interactions with macroorganisms - Population biology of microorganisms - Microbes and surfaces (adhesion and biofilm formation) - Microbial community genetics and evolutionary processes - (Global) element cycles and biogeochemical processes - Microbial life in extreme and unusual little-explored environments

Life Out of Balance

Life Out of Balance PDF Author: Joel B. Hagen
Publisher: University Alabama Press
ISBN: 081732089X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Traces historical developments in scientific conceptions of physiology, ecology, behavior, and evolutionary biology during the mid-twentieth century Life Out of Balance focuses on a period in history when new ideas of self-regulation, adaptation, and fitness became central to a variety of biological disciplines. During the decades surrounding World War II, these ideas developed in several quite different contexts and led to greater debates about the merits of such models as applied to larger systems, including society at large. Particularly in its later cybernetic form, homeostasis seemed to provide new ways of discussing balance and regulation that avoided discredited approaches of earlier champions of vitalism and mechanism. It provided a common perspective and terminology for discussing self-regulating “systems,” whether biological, mechanical, or social. Although enormously fruitful and influential, homeostatic perspectives also generated numerous controversies when critics questioned the degree to which biological systems are characterized by balance and self-regulation. Resolving these controversies continues to be a challenge in modern biology. If natural selection constitutes the first law of biology, scientists who champion homeostasis as a theoretical model claim that it is a second law, equally important and closely related to the first. Such claims notwithstanding, homeostasis has generated a series of controversies since it was formalized by Walter Cannon in the late 1920s. Critics contended that Cannon took a too-optimistic view of life, not only ignoring pathological deviations from normality but also failing to adequately explain the ability of living things to respond adaptively to environmental challenges. Underlying these controversies was the unresolved problem of integrating physiology and other areas of functional biology with the emerging evolutionary synthesis of Mendelian genetics and Darwinian natural selection. The physiological idea of homeostasis as the adaptive “fit” between the organism and its environment and the Darwinian idea of adaptation and fitness in terms of reproductive success might seem to be complementary in an unproblematic way, but historically they have had an uneasy relationship.

The Evolution of Medicine

The Evolution of Medicine PDF Author: Andrew S. Olearchyk
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1665576227
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 892

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Book Description
The book entitled «The Evolution of Medicine» was composed using a novel approach of presenting in a chronological order the theoretical and clinical medicine from the prehistoric times to the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, based on the significant contribution of the known, lesser known, and unknown individuals. Dedicated for medical students and physicians.

Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere

Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere PDF Author: Christon J. Hurst
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030635120
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 684

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Book Description
This collection of essays discusses fascinating aspects of the concept that microbes are at the root of all ecosystems. The content is divided into seven parts, the first of those emphasizes that microbes not only were the starting point, but sustain the rest of the biosphere and shows how life evolves through a perpetual struggle for habitats and niches. Part II explains the ways in which microbial life persists in some of the most extreme environments, while Part III presents our understanding of the core aspects of microbial metabolism. Part IV examines the duality of the microbial world, acknowledging that life exists as a balance between certain processes that we perceive as being environmentally supportive and others that seem environmentally destructive. In turn, Part V discusses basic aspects of microbial symbioses, including interactions with other microorganisms, plants and animals. The concept of microbial symbiosis as a driving force in evolution is covered in Part VI. In closing, Part VII explores the adventure of microbiological research, including some reminiscences from and perspectives on the lives and careers of microbe hunters. Given its mixture of science and philosophy, the book will appeal to scientists and advanced students of microbiology, evolution and ecology alike.

The Earth That Modernism Built

The Earth That Modernism Built PDF Author: Kenny Cupers
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477329838
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 471

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Book Description
An intellectual history of architectural modernism for an age of rising global inequality and environmental crisis. The Earth That Modernism Built traces the rise of planetary design to an imperialist discourse about the influence of the earthly environment on humanity. Kenny Cupers argues that to understand how the earth became an object of design, we need to radically shift the terms of analysis. Rather than describing how new design ideas and practices traveled and transformed people and places across the globe, this book interrogates the politics of life and earth underpinning this process. It demonstrates how approaches to modern housing, landscape design, and infrastructure planning are indebted to an understanding of planetary and human ecology fueled by settler colonialism and imperial ambition. Cupers draws from both canonical and unknown sources and archives in Germany, Namibia, and Poland to situate Wilhelmine and Weimar design projects in an expansive discourse about the relationship between soil, settlement, and race. This reframing reveals connections between colonial officials planning agricultural hinterlands, garden designers proselytizing geopolitical theory, soil researchers turning to folklore, and Bauhaus architects designing modern communities according to functionalist principles. Ultimately, The Earth That Modernism Built shows how the conviction that we can design our way out of environmental crisis is bound to exploitative and divisive ways of inhabiting the earth.

A History of Biology

A History of Biology PDF Author: Michel Morange
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691253927
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
A comprehensive history of the biological sciences from antiquity to the modern era This book presents a global history of the biological sciences from ancient times to today, providing needed perspective on the development of biological thought while shedding light on the field's upheavals and key breakthroughs through the ages. Michel Morange brings to life the dynamic interplay of science, society, and biology’s many subdisciplines, enabling readers to better appreciate the interdisciplinary exchanges that have shaped the field over the centuries. Each chapter of this incisive book focuses on a specific period in the history of biology, describing the major transformations that occurred, the enduring scientific concerns behind these changes, and the implications of yesterday's science for today's. Morange covers everything from the first cell theory to the origins of the concept of ecosystems, and offers perspectives on areas that are often neglected by historians of biology, such as ecology, ethology, and plant biology. Along the way, he highlights the contributions of technology, the important role of hypothesis and experimentation, and the cultural contexts in which some of the most breathtaking discoveries in biology were made. Unrivaled in scope and written by a world-renowned historian of science, A History of Biology is an ideal introduction for students and experts alike, and essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the present state of biological knowledge.

Far Beyond the Moon

Far Beyond the Moon PDF Author: David P. D. Munns
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822988003
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
From the beginning of the space age, scientists and engineers have worked on systems to help humans survive for the astounding 28,500 days (78 years) needed to reach another planet. They’ve imagined and tried to create a little piece of Earth in a bubble travelling through space, inside of which people could live for decades, centuries, or even millennia. Far Beyond the Moon tells the dramatic story of engineering efforts by astronauts and scientists to create artificial habitats for humans in orbiting space stations, as well as on journeys to Mars and beyond. Along the way, David P. D. Munns and Kärin Nickelsen explore the often unglamorous but very real problem posed by long-term life support: How can we recycle biological wastes to create air, water, and even food in meticulously controlled artificial environments? Together, they draw attention to the unsung participants of the space program—the sanitary engineers, nutritionists, plant physiologists, bacteriologists, and algologists who created and tested artificial environments for space based on chemical technologies of life support—as well as the bioregenerative algae systems developed to reuse waste, water, and nutrients, so that we might cope with a space journey of not just a few days, but months, or more likely, years.

Wilhelm Reich, Biologist

Wilhelm Reich, Biologist PDF Author: James E. Strick
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 067428688X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 476

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Book Description
Psychoanalyst, political theorist, pioneer of body therapies, prophet of the sexual revolution—all fitting titles, but Wilhelm Reich has never been recognized as a serious laboratory scientist, despite his experimentation with bioelectricity and unicellular organisms. Wilhelm Reich, Biologist is an eye-opening reappraisal of one of twentieth-century science’s most controversial figures—perhaps the only writer whose scientific works were burned by both the Nazis and the U.S. government. Refuting allegations of “pseudoscience” that have long dogged Reich’s research, James Strick argues that Reich’s lab experiments in the mid-1930s represented the cutting edge of light microscopy and time-lapse micro-cinematography and deserve to be taken seriously as legitimate scientific contributions. Trained in medicine and a student of Sigmund Freud, Reich took to the laboratory to determine if Freud’s concept of libido was quantitatively measurable. His electrophysiological experiments led to his “discovery” of microscopic vesicles (he called them “bions”), which Reich hypothesized were instrumental in originating life from nonliving matter. Studying Reich’s laboratory notes from recently opened archives, Strick presents a detailed account of the bion experiments, tracing how Reich eventually concluded he had discovered an unknown type of biological radiation he called “orgone.” The bion experiments were foundational to Reich’s theory of cancer and later investigations of orgone energy. Reich’s experimental findings and interpretations were considered discredited, but not because of shoddy lab technique, as has often been claimed. Scientific opposition to Reich’s experiments, Strick contends, grew out of resistance to his unorthodox sexual theories and his Marxist political leanings.

Magic Bullets, Miracle Drugs, and Microbiologists

Magic Bullets, Miracle Drugs, and Microbiologists PDF Author: William C. Summers
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1683674790
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 151

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Book Description
Magic Bullets, Miracle Drugs, and Microbiologists Magic Bullets, Miracle Drugs, and Microbiologists: A History of the Microbiome and Metagenomics by William C. Summers is an enlightening journey through the fascinating world of microbiology, exploring its history, challenges, and the revolutionary concept of the microbiome. Summers draws from his unique perspective as both a practicing microbiologist and a historian of science, influenced by early microbiological literature and his own extensive career, presenting how our understanding of microbes evolved from concepts of simple germs to complex, essential elements of life. Summers skillfully ties together key players and eras in the microbial sciences into a concise narrative, from early microscopic observations to the revolutionary developments in genetic analysis and metagenomics, highlighting our ever-evolving understanding of the diverse microbial world. Magic Bullets, Miracle Drugs, and Microbiologists is a compelling read for anyone interested in the profound impact of microorganisms on our world. “Bill Summers artfully explains how, over the past century, scientists have synthesized new disciplines and embraced evolving technologies to develop new concepts about how germs behave in microbial communities and what their relationship is to the environment, human health, and epidemic diseases. Skillfully written in engaging prose, this book will be valuable to microbiologists, epidemiologists, medical historians, and geneticists seeking to better understand the historic roots of twenty-first century microbiology.” — Powel H Kazanjian, University of Michigan Medical School and Author of Frederick Novy and the Development of Bacteriology in Medicine