Biology explores the complexity of life, which often seems far too great to grasp all at once. Every level, from micro to macro, is complex in its own right, yet all systems (molecular, cellular, organismal, ecological, etc.) are integrated as a whole, confounding things even more. Since every system has many variables as a result of complex pathways, there is also a great deal of variation, again, at all levels (individual, species, population, community, etc.). The easiest example of this is a point mutation. But think about developmental processes, epigenetics, and all the other factors that go into making life.
Another reason to love biology is that such widespread variation, which is necessary for the survival of life, disproves all cultural notions, stereotypes, and categories we've created. By definition, these social constructs assemble artificial parameters around groups of individuals while masking high levels of variation/diversity.
Life is, simply, awesome. Let's not simplify it so as to only stand in awe. Let's dive right in and that will blow our minds even more.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment