The Core Mechanism of Natural Selection: How the Natural Cycle of Potassium Resources Affects the Biological Evolution and the Change of Human Society

Darwin’s theory of evolution believes that biological evolution is a process of natural selection. This theory has been supported by much evidence, but the internal biological mechanism is not clear. Here, I elaborate on the cycle of potassium resources on the earth and the biological utilization and efficiency, which may be the core mechanism of natural selection and affect the evolution of organisms and the development of human society.

A New Model on Origin and Evolution of Biology

Modified classical Boltzmann entropy as generalized entropy, then proposed Maximum Generalized Entropy Principle fusing physics and biology, and established a new model for biological origin and evolutions based on this principle, finally took protein evolution for an example to analyze. The model provided some reference for biological complexity research.

Creationism and Evolution Views of Brazilian Teachers and Teachers-to-Be

This paper aims at assessing the evolutionist and creationist conceptions of Brazilian teachers. The work is developed within the framework of the European project BIOHEAD-CITIZEN （biology, health and environmental education for better citizenship）, which takes into account that scientific knowledge and teachers＇ attitudes and values can influence the teaching practices. The large questionnaire BIOHEAD-CITIZEN, which was constructed to be applied in 19 countries in Europe, Africa and Middle East countries, was applied, in this study, to six groups of Brazilian teachers： primary school teachers, biology teachers and Portuguese language teachers and corresponding teachers-to-be. For this paper the answers to questions about evolution were used as dependent variables. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were carried out. Biology teachers and biology teachers-to-be gave more importance to the natural selection and the evolution process than the other groups of teachers. Comparing to the BIOHEAD-CITIZEN countries, the total Brazilian sample showed a higher percentage of creationist conceptions, particularly the Brazilian biology teachers and teachers-to-be. As discussed herein, this may not be an obstacle for teaching evolution as they accept both creationist and evolutionist concomitantly.

Harnessing CRISPR-Cas system diversity for gene editing technologies

The discovery and utilization of RNA-guided surveillance complexes,such as CRISPR-Cas9,for sequencespecific DNA or RNA cleavage,has revolutionised the process of gene modification or knockdown.To optimise the use of this technology,an exploratory race has ensued to discover or develop new RNA-guided endonucleases with the most flexible sequence targeting requirements,coupled with high cleavage efficacy and specificity.Here we review the constraints of existing gene editing and assess the merits of exploiting the diversity of CRISPR-Cas effectors as a methodology for surmounting these limitations.

Biology and Culture

Human beings do not live in nature, they live in culture. Contrary to biological evolution, which is based on genetic inheritance, cultural change is transmitted by instruction. Simple beginnings of culture have been observed in various animals. However, the much advanced human culture became possible by its transmission by language, and by its being cumulative. The concept of cultural change as a progressive process, popular by 18th and 19th centuries thinkers, is nowadays rejected, and the uniqueness of each culture stressed. Although, there are some similarities between biological evolution and cultural change, important differences between these processes are emphasized. The rapid rate of cultural change （especially its technological aspect）, as compared to the rate of biological evolution, is noted. In addition, some cultural changes led to new phenomena, which in a time of crisis can be annulled. The possible consequences of the different rate of these two processes for humans as individuals, and for their societies are discussed.

On Multi-Level Thinking and Scientific Understanding

Professor Duzheng YE＇s name has been familiar to me ever since my postdoctoral years at MIT with Professors Jule CHARNEY and Norman PHILLIPS, back in the late 1960 s. I had the enormous pleasure of meeting Professor YE personally in 1992 in Beijing. His concern to promote the very best science and to use it well, and his thinking on multi-level orderly human activities, reminds me not only of the communication skills we need as scientists but also of the multi-level nature of science itself. Here I want to say something（a） about what science is;（b） about why multi-level thinking—and taking more than one viewpoint—is so important for scientific as well as for other forms of understanding; and（c） about what is meant, at a deep level, by ＂scientific understanding＂ and trying to communicate it, not only with lay persons but also across professional disciplines. I hope that Professor YE would approve.

A New Inquiry into the Chinese Sources Used by Charles Darwin

To the best of his ability,Charles Darwin amassed materials on a wide spectrum of biological species from many regions,grounding his theory of evolution with a global perspective in mind.Although he did not personally conduct investigations in China,he collected and perused the China-related treatises available in European languages,particularly those written by sinologists.By means of these treatises,he made indirect citations of or reference to at least ten Chinese books,such as Qimin yaoshu齊民要術(Essential techniques for the peasantry),Bencao gangmu本草綱目(Compendium of materia medica),and Sancai tuhui三才圖會(Collected illustrations of the three realms),drawing especially from works on agriculture and medicine.Material drawn from these books bridged a gap in Darwin’s information on worldwide species and thus performed a vital role in his construction of the theory of evolution.Meanwhile,the investigations here help rectify and account for some factual errors that Darwin made.

Recent insights into aquatic viruses: Emerging and reemerging pathogens, molecular features, biological effects, and novel investigative approaches

Aquatic viruses are naturally present in the aquatic environment and the number of viruses is staggering.Various multicellular organisms in aquatic ecosystems may be infected,cross-species transmitted,manipulated,and killed by aquatic viruses,which can lead to cascading ecological effects.The viruses in unicellular aquatic organisms can alter interactions between host individuals,and are essential in effecting or maintaining the dynamics of aquatic microbial communities,horizontal gene transfer,biodiversity,and modulating ecological processes globally.Meanwhile,hosts also impact viral abundance and diversity.Microbial diversity drives multifunctionality in ecosystems,while viruses shape complex microbial communities and are crucial for ecosystem functioning.This review focuses on molecular,genetic,evolutionary,and ecosystemic advances related to emerging and reemerging aquatic viruses,presents the contexts,novel tools,and investigative approaches pertaining to the study of aquatic virology,and discusses the mechanisms by which viruses affect aquatic ecosystems.The paper provides an efficient and broadly-based blueprint for improving understanding of aquatic viruses.