“The Forming Tree”
By Craig Holdrege
Can you explain these “bizarre” forms of common trees? A lesson in context.
“The Gene: A Needed Revolution”
By Craig Holdrege
The history of the concept of the gene dramatically belies the contemporary rhetoric that treats the gene as a fixed, well-defined thing that controls the organism and makes it what it is. Here the evolving concept of the gene is traced through the words of many of those who played a central role in elucidating the concept.
Notes and Reviews
“Wildlife Observations”
By Craig Holdrege
After a visit to the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to observe the American bison, Craig offers some notes on his observations, which included sightings of moose, pronghorns, coyotes, and various other critters, in addition to bison.
“Commentary on DNA Barcoding in Bioscience”
By Malte Ebach and Craig Holdrege
As a result of a letter they wrote, published in the journal, Nature, Malte Ebach and Craig were invited by the editors of Bioscience (journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences) to write a commentary on DNA barcoding. Here are some excerpts from their article.
“Aristotle’s Opinion of Modern Physics”
By Kurt Riezler
Excerpts from a little-known book whose author remarked: “This little book is a humble experiment in thought dedicated to those who, conscious of a widening cleavage between Nature and Man, are willing to inquire into its causes. It neither will nor can do any harm to others who feel safe only in the shelter of inherited habits.”
“The Paradox of Physics Envy: The Mental Universe”
By Stephen L. Talbott
Many physicists talk freely about the “mental” character of the universe. Why, then, are those scientists in other disciplines — disciplines that aspire to the status of physics — so backward about overcoming their long-standing bias against mentality?