There are many things that philosophy of biology might be. But, given the existence of a professional philosophy of biology that is arguably a progressive research program and, as such, unrivaled, it makes sense to define philosophy of biology more narrowly than the totality of intersecting concerns biologists and philosophers (let alone other scholars) might have. The reasons for the success of the "new" philosophy of biology remain poorly understood. I reflect on what Dutch and Flemish, and, more generally, European philosophers of biology could do to improve the situation of their discipline locally, regionally, and internationally, paying particular attention to the lessons to be learned from the "Science Wars."
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10441-005-5352-7 | DOI Listing |
Conserv Biol
January 2025
School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Parasites represent a significant proportion of Earth's biodiversity and play important roles in the ecology and biology of ecosystems and hosts, making them an important target for conservation. Despite increasing calls to prioritize protection for parasites in the academic literature, they remain undervalued and underrepresented in global biodiversity conservation efforts, not least due to the perception that the interests of parasite and host conservation are opposing and the common misconception that parasites are a threat, rather than a benefit, to conservation. We considered whether taking an interdisciplinary approach to parasite conservation research will generate novel insights and solutions concerning why and how parasite conservation should be practiced for the benefit of parasites, their hosts, ecosystems, and people.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychopharmacology (Berl)
January 2025
Observing Minds Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Rationale: To examine the acute effects of ayahuasca use and their relationship to sub-acute changes in affect and mindfulness in a non-clinical sample, addressing the need for a better understanding of ayahuasca's immediate and short-term impacts as interest in its use grows.
Objectives: Using prospective ecological assessment, this study investigates how ayahuasca used at a 4-day retreat affects positive/negative affect and mindfulness skills in daily living compared to pre-retreat. Additionally, we explore acute psychedelic experiences during the ayahuasca retreat, assessed retrospectively 1-2 days post-retreat, as potential mechanisms for theorized effects in daily living post-retreat.
Brief Bioinform
November 2024
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Molecular-imaging, Center of AI Biology, Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.
The volume of microbiome data is growing at an exponential rate, and the current methodologies for big data mining are encountering substantial obstacles. Effectively managing and extracting valuable insights from these vast microbiome datasets has emerged as a significant challenge in the field of contemporary microbiome research. This comprehensive review delves into the utilization of foundation models and transfer learning techniques within the context of microbiome-based classification and prediction tasks, advocating for a transition away from traditional task-specific or scenario-specific models towards more adaptable, continuous learning models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnzyme Microb Technol
January 2025
Departamento de Biocatálisis, ICP-CSIC, C/Marie Curie 2, Campus UAM-CSIC, Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain. Electronic address:
Supports coated with amino-hexyl and amino octyl have been prepared from glyoxyl agarose beads and compared in their performance with octyl-agarose to immobilize lipases A and B from Candida antarctica (CALA and CALB). Immobilization courses were similar using all supports, but enzyme release was more difficult using the amino-alkyl supports suggesting a mixed interfacial activation/ionic exchange immobilization. The enzyme activity and specificity (using p-nitrophenyl propionate, triacetin and both isomers of methyl mandelate) greatly depended on the support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Importance: Patients with achalasia face a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer (EC), but the surveillance strategies for these patients remain controversial due to the long disease duration and the lack of identified risk factors.
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of esophageal Candida infection among patients with achalasia and to assess the association of Candida infection with EC risk within this population.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study included patients with achalasia diagnosed at or referred for treatment and monitoring to the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, between January 1, 1980, and May 31, 2024.
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