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The origins of order : self organization and selection in evolution
| Responsibility | Stuart A. Kauffman |
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| Material Type | Book |
| Publication | New York : Oxford University Press , 1993 |
| Language | English |
| Size | xviii, 709 p. : ill. ; 24-25 cm |
| Abstract | "Stuart Kauffman here presents a brilliant new paradigm for evolutionary biology, one that extends the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution to accommodate recent findings and perspectives from the fi...lds of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. The book drives to the heart of the exciting debate on the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. It focuses on the concept of self-organization: the spontaneous emergence of order widely observed throughout nature. Kauffman here argues that self-organization plays an important role in the emergence of life itself and may play as fundamental a role in shaping life's subsequent evolution as does the Darwinian process of natural selection. Yet until now no systematic effort has been made to incorporate the concept of self-organization into evolutionary theory. The construction requirements which permit complex systems to adapt remain poorly understood, as is the extent to which selection itself can yield systems able to adapt more successfully. This book explores these themes. It shows how complex systems, contrary to expectations, can spontaneously exhibit stunning degrees of order, and how this order, in turn, is essential for understanding the emergence and development of life on Earth. Topics include the new biotechnology of applied molecular evolution, with its important implications for developing new drugs and vaccines; the balance between order and chaos observed in many naturally occurring systems; new insights concerning the predictive power of statistical mechanics in biology; and other major issues. Indeed, the approaches investigated here may prove to be the new center around which biological science itself will evolve. The work is written for all those interested in the cutting edge of research in the life sciences."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved The author is a biophysicist at the U. of Pennsylvania and is associated with the Santa Fe Institute, a leading complexity theory "think tank." He applies complexity theory to our understanding of evolution, explaining the incompleteness of Darwin's theory of natural selection as the driving force for order in nature and setting forth the key concept of self organization. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.show more |
Holdings
| Status | Volume | Location | Call No. | Printed | Collection Name | Barcode No. | Comments | Reserve | Copy | Automatic archive |
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SciTech 3F Mathematical Books | KAUF/20/1 | 1993 |
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068222194003308 |
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SciTech Library ASRS | 461.6/Ka 89 | 1993 |
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068222193003563 |
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AGRICULTURE | 461.6/Ka 89/o | 1993 |
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068342194001804 |
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: pbk | SciTech 2F Open Stacks | 461.6/Ka 89 | 1993 |
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031212008501874 |
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Bibliographic details
| Notes | Includes bibliographical references (p. 647-694) and index |
|---|---|
| Authors | *Kauffman, Stuart A. |
| Subjects | LCSH:Life -- Origin
All Subject Search
LCSH:Self-organizing systems LCSH:Molecular evolution LCSH:Evolution -- Philosophy All Subject Search |
| Classification | LCC:QH325 DC20:577 |
| ID | 1000037820 |
| ISBN | 0195058119 |
| NCID | BA20231892 |
| Vol | ISBN:0195058119 : pbk ; ISBN:0195079515 |
| Created Date | 2009.09.10 |
| Modified Date | 2009.11.02 |