Fluctuating asymmetry and developmental instability in evolutionary biology: past, present and future

The role of developmental instability (DI), as measured by fluctuating asymmetry (FA), in evolutionary biology has been the focus of a wealth of research for more than half a century. In spite of this long period and many published papers, our current state of knowledge reviewed here only allows us to conclude that patterns are heterogeneous and that very little is known about the underlying causes of this heterogeneity. In addition, the statistical properties of FA as a measure of DI are only poorly grasped because of a general lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive DI. If we want to avoid that this area of research becomes abandoned, more efforts should be made to understand the observed heterogeneity, and attempts should be made to develop a unifying statistical protocol. More specifically, and perhaps most importantly, it is argued here that more attention should be paid to the usefulness of FA as a measure of DI since many factors might blur this relationship. Furthermore, the genetic architecture, associations with fitness and the importance of compensatory growth should be investigated under a variety of stress situations. In addition, more focus should be directed to the underlying mechanisms of DI as well as how these processes map to the observable phenotype. These insights could yield more efficient statistical models and a unified approach to the analysis of patterns in FA and DI. The study of both DI and canalization is indispensable to obtain better insights in their possible common origin, especially because both have been suggested to play a role in both micro- and macro-evolutionary processes.     

ACMC: past,present and future.

In this article, the president of the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges (ACMC) and its director of research review the issues that have confronted ACMC since its inception: the founding of ACMC; development of the clinical teaching unit; creation of the Medical Research Council and expansion of the research mission; the Royal Commission on Health Services and the founding of new faculties of medicine; ACMC''s in-house research program; accreditation and ACMC''s links with medical education in the United States; and French-language medical education in Canada. The review points out the perennial nature of many of these issues, and how often perceived solutions to the problems later become problems themselves. It ends on the optimistic note that ACMC can successfully meet the challenges of the future.     

Eugenics: past, present, and the future.

During the past 20 years there has been a resurgence of interest in the history of the eugenics movements, particularly those of the United States and Germany. Unfortunately, most of these accounts have been published in nonmedical and nongenetic journals, so they are not readily available to geneticists or physicians. The authors of this article are concerned about the lack of information that geneticists, physicians, and students have concerning the origin and progress of these movements. This article provides a short history of the American and German eugenics programs and concludes with a review of their possible relations to our current practices. It is hoped that this will encourage institutions to include, in master's Ph.D., and M.D. programs in human genetics, lectures, seminars, and journal clubs on the topic of eugenics.     

The Internet and medicine: past,present, and future.

The enormous growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web has made these two technologies an important potential adjunct to cost-effective health care research and delivery. This article surveys some recent developments in telecommunications, networking and artificial intelligence that are likely to have a significant impact on improving the efficiency and quality of future health care. Issues discussed include: clinical record keeping on the Internet, Internet-assisted medical diagnosis, privacy and security matters, financial transactions, digital money, bandwidth concerns, multimedia (music, audio and video) information delivery via the Internet, intellectual property, and the concept of Information Philanthropy.     

Biodiversity: past, present, and future

Data from the fossil record are used to illustrate biodiversity in the past and estimate modern biodiversity and loss. This data is used to compare current rates of extinction with past extinction events. Paleontologists are encouraged to use this data to understand the course and consequences of current losses and to share this knowledge with researchers interested in conservation and ecology.     

Genetics of fungi,past and future

World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology -     

Life: past, present and future

Molecular methods of taxonomy and phylogeny have changed the way in which life on earth is viewed; they have allowed us to transition from a eukaryote-centric (five-kingdoms) view of the planet to one that is peculiarly prokarote-centric, containing three kingdoms, two of which are prokaryotic unicells. These prokaryotes are distinguished from their eukaryotic counterparts by their toughness, tenacity and metabolic diversity. Realization of these features has, in many ways, changed the way we feel about life on earth, about the nature of life past and about the possibility of finding life elsewhere. In essence, the limits of life on this planet have expanded to such a degree that our thoughts of both past and future life have been altered. The abilities of prokaryotes to withstand many extreme conditions has led to the term extremophiles, used to describe the organisms that thrive under conditions thought just a few years ago, to be inconsistent with life. Perhaps the most extensive adaptation to extreme conditions, however, is represented by the ability of many bacteria to survive nutrient conditions not compatible with eukaryotic life. Prokaryotes have evolved to use nearly every redox couple that is in abundance on earth, filling the metabolic niches left behind by the oxygen-using, carbon-eating eukaryotes. This metabolic plasticity leads to a common feature in physically stratified environments of layered microbial communities, chemical indicators of the metabolic diversity of the prokaryotes. Such 'metabolic extremophily' forms a backdrop by which we can view the energy flow of life on this planet, think about what the evolutionary past of the planet might have been, and plan ways to look for life elsewhere, using the knowledge of energy flow on earth.     

Chitosomes: past, present and future

José Ruiz-Herrera's discovery that chitin microfibrils could be made by a fungal extract paved the way for elucidating the intracellular location of chitin synthetase. In collaboration with Charles Bracker, chitosomes were identified as the major reservoir of chitin synthetase in fungi. Unique in size, buoyant density, and membrane thickness, chitosomes were found in a wide range of fungi. Their reversible dissociation into 16S subunits is another unique property of chitosomes. These 16S subunits are the smallest molecular entities known to retain chitin synthetase activity. Further dissociation leads to complete loss of activity. From studies with secretory mutants, yeast researchers concluded that chitosomes were components of the endocytosis pathway. However, key structural and enzymatic characteristics argue in favor of the chitosome being poised for exocytotic delivery rather than endocytotic recycling. The chitosome represents the main vehicle for delivering chitin synthetase to the cell surface. An immediate challenge is to elucidate chitosome ontogeny and the role of proteins encoded by the reported chitin synthetase genes in the structure or function of chitosomes. The ultimate challenge would be to understand how the chitosome integrates with the cell surface to construct the organized microfibrillar skeleton of the fungal cell wall.     

Biodiversity: past, present and future

On 12-15 May 2011, a diverse group of students, researchers and practitioners from across Canada and around the world met in Banff, Alberta, to discuss the many facets of biodiversity science at the 6th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution.