My last post was rather negative, and I tried my damnedest to not come across as an asshole. I think it's important to realize, however, that as cool as evo-devo is, it won't revolutionize evolutionary biology until it can be extended beyond animal body plans. Carl Zimmer commented that studies on social microbes may just make that extension. Lo and behold, PLoS Biology has published an essay on cooperation among microorganisms. It's very accessible to a general audience and open access, so you have no excuse not to read it.
The article is so readable (without requiring expertise in microbiology) because it is part of a larger group of articles that address fundamental questions in biology. PLoS Biology is kicking off this challenge in response to the great diversification and specialization that is occurring in the life sciences:
"The amazing pace of advance in our understanding of biology has, perhaps unavoidably, engendered increasing specialization. Much of that advancement has involved the development of new tools, both in the laboratory and in computer models, and this has been dependent on the migration into biology departments of tools and people from physics, mathematics, chemistry, and elsewhere. These new collaborators have catalyzed rapid progress on specific problems, but they often have little interest in the broader scope of biology. Even traditional biologists with broader interests may not have the time to indulge outside of their own research areas because of the speed of scientific progress in those areas and the competitive nature of contemporary science."
The goal of the challenge is to identify core issues that unite biological disciplines. With that in mind, contributors are limited in the jargon they have at their disposal. If you keep the uninitiated at arms length with terminology, they will be reluctant to help you answer the big questions in your field. I'm looking forward to reading other contributions to this series in upcoming editions of PLoS Biology.
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