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Discovery and Explanation in Biology and Medicine

Author: Kenneth F. Schaffner

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1994-02-10

Total Pages: 528

ISBN-13: 9780226735917

Kenneth F. Schaffner compares the practice of biological and medical research and shows how traditional topics in philosophy of science—such as the nature of theories and of explanation—can illuminate the life sciences. While Schaffner pays some attention to the conceptual questions of evolutionary biology, his chief focus is on the examples that immunology, human genetics, neuroscience, and internal medicine provide for examinations of the way scientists develop, examine, test, and apply theories. Although traditional philosophy of science has regarded scientific discovery—the questions of creativity in science—as a subject for psychological rather than philosophical study, Schaffner argues that recent work in cognitive science and artificial intelligence enables researchers to rationally analyze the nature of discovery. As a philosopher of science who holds an M.D., he has examined biomedical work from the inside and uses detailed examples from the entire range of the life sciences to support the semantic approach to scientific theories, addressing whether there are "laws" in the life sciences as there are in the physical sciences. Schaffner's novel use of philosophical tools to deal with scientific research in all of its complexity provides a distinctive angle on basic questions of scientific evaluation and explanation.

Discovery and Explanation in Biology and Medicine

Author: Kenneth F. Schaffner

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 654

ISBN-13: 9780226735924

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Tales of Discovery

Author: Miguel M. Garcia

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2024-01-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9783031476198

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Research data sharing has traditionally been addressed to other peer researchers. Nowadays there is general awareness that putting research at the disposal of society is beneficial and necessary. However, the popularization of science is a hard endeavor. It must deal with transmission of transcendental knowledge with the appealing adornment of a good story, but avoiding the risk of falling into banality. This book consists in a series of individual stories delving into the world of biology and medicine. Some topics included in this volume consist in the explanation of basic biological concepts like the origin of modern eukaryotic cells, the importance of mutations as the driving force behind evolution, the molecular ins and outs of the nervous system, or the relevance of microorganisms to humans and science including food and energy industries. Others rather lean to a more biomedical perspective and constitute popular cases that have been, to some extent, trending in global media outlets: the divulgation of some current under-reckoned non-infectious pandemics like obesity and chronic pain, the presence of longer-living populations around the world named blue zones, the American (and African) opioid crisis, or the discovery and development of CRISPR-Cas as a promising genetic editing tool. All chapters are depicted with accompanying illustrations thoroughly elaborated by professionals of Fine Arts to make it easier to understand for the non-experts... but may perhaps also proof that the scientific method and multidisciplinary work are not unique to natural sciences, but also shared by other apparently distant disciplines like arts.

Beyond the Molecular Frontier

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2003-03-19

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 0309168392

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Chemistry and chemical engineering have changed significantly in the last decade. They have broadened their scopeâ€"into biology, nanotechnology, materials science, computation, and advanced methods of process systems engineering and controlâ€"so much that the programs in most chemistry and chemical engineering departments now barely resemble the classical notion of chemistry. Beyond the Molecular Frontier brings together research, discovery, and invention across the entire spectrum of the chemical sciencesâ€"from fundamental, molecular-level chemistry to large-scale chemical processing technology. This reflects the way the field has evolved, the synergy at universities between research and education in chemistry and chemical engineering, and the way chemists and chemical engineers work together in industry. The astonishing developments in science and engineering during the 20th century have made it possible to dream of new goals that might previously have been considered unthinkable. This book identifies the key opportunities and challenges for the chemical sciences, from basic research to societal needs and from terrorism defense to environmental protection, and it looks at the ways in which chemists and chemical engineers can work together to contribute to an improved future.

Analyzing Network Data in Biology and Medicine

Author: Nataša Pržulj

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-03-28

Total Pages: 647

ISBN-13: 1108432239

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Introduces biological concepts and biotechnologies producing the data, graph and network theory, cluster analysis and machine learning, using real-world biological and medical examples.

Proteomics for Biological Discovery

Author: Timothy D. Veenstra

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2006-06-12

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 0470007737

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Written by recognized experts in the study of proteins, Proteomics for Biological Discovery begins by discussing the emergence of proteomics from genome sequencing projects and a summary of potential answers to be gained from proteome-level research. The tools of proteomics, from conventional to novel techniques, are then dealt with in terms of underlying concepts, limitations and future directions. An invaluable source of information, this title also provides a thorough overview of the current developments in post-translational modification studies, structural proteomics, biochemical proteomics, microfabrication, applied proteomics, and bioinformatics relevant to proteomics. Presents a comprehensive and coherent review of the major issues faced in terms of technology development, bioinformatics, strategic approaches, and applications Chapters offer a rigorous overview with summary of limitations, emerging approaches, questions, and realistic future industry and basic science applications Discusses higher level integrative aspects, including technical challenges and applications for drug discovery Accessible to the novice while providing experienced investigators essential information Proteomics for Biological Discovery is an essential resource for students, postdoctoral fellows, and researchers across all fields of biomedical research, including biochemistry, protein chemistry, molecular genetics, cell/developmental biology, and bioinformatics.

Model Organisms in Drug Discovery

Author: Pamela M. Carroll

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2004-04-21

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 047087130X

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Fruit flies are "little people with wings" goes the saying in the scientific community, ever since the completion of the Human Genome Project and its revelations about the similarity amongst the genomes of different organisms. It is humbling that most signalling pathways which "define" humans are conserved in Drosophila, the common fruit fly. Feed a fruit fly caffeine and it has trouble falling asleep; feed it antihistamines and it cannot stay awake. A C. elegans worm placed on the antidepressant flouxetine has increased serotonin levels in its tiny brain. Yeast treated with chemotherapeutics stop their cell division. Removal of a single gene from a mouse or zebrafish can cause the animals to develop Alzheimer’s disease or heart disease. These organisms are utilized as surrogates to investigate the function and design of complex human biological systems. Advances in bioinformatics, proteomics, automation technologies and their application to model organism systems now occur on an industrial scale. The integration of model systems into the drug discovery process, the speed of the tools, and the in vivo validation data that these models can provide, will clearly help definition of disease biology and high-quality target validation. Enhanced target selection will lead to the more efficacious and less toxic therapeutic compounds of the future. Leading experts in the field provide detailed accounts of model organism research that have impacted on specific therapeutic areas and they examine state-of-the-art applications of model systems, describing real life applications and their possible impact in the future. This book will be of interest to geneticists, bioinformaticians, pharmacologists, molecular biologists and people working in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly genomics.

Knowledge Discovery in Proteomics

Author: Igor Jurisica

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2005-09-02

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 1420035169

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Multi-modal representations, the lack of complete and consistent domain theories, rapid evolution of domain knowledge, high dimensionality, and large amounts of missing information - these are challenges inherent in modern proteomics. As our understanding of protein structure and function becomes ever more complicated, we have reached a point where

Evolution of Translational Omics

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-09-13

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 0309224187

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Technologies collectively called omics enable simultaneous measurement of an enormous number of biomolecules; for example, genomics investigates thousands of DNA sequences, and proteomics examines large numbers of proteins. Scientists are using these technologies to develop innovative tests to detect disease and to predict a patient's likelihood of responding to specific drugs. Following a recent case involving premature use of omics-based tests in cancer clinical trials at Duke University, the NCI requested that the IOM establish a committee to recommend ways to strengthen omics-based test development and evaluation. This report identifies best practices to enhance development, evaluation, and translation of omics-based tests while simultaneously reinforcing steps to ensure that these tests are appropriately assessed for scientific validity before they are used to guide patient treatment in clinical trials.

Bioinformatics and Biomarker Discovery

Author: Francisco Azuaje

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-08-24

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 111996430X

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This book is designed to introduce biologists, clinicians and computational researchers to fundamental data analysis principles, techniques and tools for supporting the discovery of biomarkers and the implementation of diagnostic/prognostic systems. The focus of the book is on how fundamental statistical and data mining approaches can support biomarker discovery and evaluation, emphasising applications based on different types of "omic" data. The book also discusses design factors, requirements and techniques for disease screening, diagnostic and prognostic applications. Readers are provided with the knowledge needed to assess the requirements, computational approaches and outputs in disease biomarker research. Commentaries from guest experts are also included, containing detailed discussions of methodologies and applications based on specific types of "omic" data, as well as their integration. Covers the main range of data sources currently used for biomarker discovery Covers the main range of data sources currently used for biomarker discovery Puts emphasis on concepts, design principles and methodologies that can be extended or tailored to more specific applications Offers principles and methods for assessing the bioinformatic/biostatistic limitations, strengths and challenges in biomarker discovery studies Discusses systems biology approaches and applications Includes expert chapter commentaries to further discuss relevance of techniques, summarize biological/clinical implications and provide alternative interpretations