this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2024
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2024-11-11

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Review of 2023 book: How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology Philip Ball. ISBN9781529095999

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[–] PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

There are several. One is the gene-centric theory of biology, which carries less weight in biology itself than it does in how biological sciences are communicated to laypersons - eg the Selfish Gene, which I could rip on for pages - and others include ideas that are considered contentious within biology, such as multilevel selection theory that extends beyond kin selection. I can’t begin to tell you about the number of arguments I’ve gotten into on that subject alone. I will frequently bring up that there is confusion as to what a “gene” actually is, and how it’s really determined by the context in which we’re using the word. There’s really just so much that needs to be re-evaluated.

[–] kalkulat@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

" the Selfish Gene, which I could rip on for pages "

Please put me on the list to read that!

[–] speck@kbin.social 1 points 9 months ago