"Glory to the science of embryology!" So Johannes Holtfreter closed his letter to this editor when he granted permission to publish his article in this volume. And glory there is: glory in the phenomenon of animals developing their complex morphologies from fertilized eggs, and glory in the efforts of a relatively small group of scientists to understand these wonderful events. Embryology is unique among the biological disciplines, for it denies the hegemony of the adult and sees value (indeed, more value) in the stages that lead up to the fully developed organism. It seeks the origin, and not merely the maintenance, of the body. And if embryology is the study of the embryo as seen over time, the history of embryology is a second-order derivative, seeing how the study of embryos changes over time. As Jane Oppenheimer pointed out, "Sci ence, like life itself, indeed like history, itself, is a historical phenomenon. It can build itself only out of its past. " Thus, there are several ways in which embryology and the history of embryology are similar. Each takes a current stage of a developing entity and seeks to explain the paths that brought it to its present condition. Indeed, embryology used to be called Entwicklungsgeschichte, the developmental history of the organism. Both embryology and its history interpret the interplay between internal factors and external agents in the causation of new processes and events.

A newly revised edition of the standard reference for the field today—updated with new terms, major discoveries, significant scientists, and illustrations Developmental biology is the study of the mechanisms of development, differentiation, and growth in animals and plants at the molecular, cellular, and genetic levels. The discipline has gained prominence in part due to new interdisciplinary approaches and advances in technology, which have led to the rapid emergence of new concepts and words. The Dictionary of Developmental Biology and Embryology, Second Edition is the first comprehensive reference focused on the field's terms, research, history, and people. This authoritative A-to-Z resource covers classical morphological and cytological terms along with those from modern genetics and molecular biology. Extensively cross-referenced, the Dictionary includes definitions of terms, explanations of concepts, and biographies of historical figures. Comparative aspects are described in order to provide a sense of the evolution of structures, and topics range from fundamental terminology, germ layers, and induction to RNAi, evo-devo, stem cell differentiation, and more. Readers will find such features of embryology and developmental biology as: Vertebrates Invertebrates Plants Developmental genetics Evolutionary developmental biology Molecular developmental biology Medical embryology The author's premium on accessibility allows readers at all levels to enhance their vocabulary in their field and understand terminology beyond their specific focus. Researchers and students in developmental biology, cell biology, developmental genetics, and embryology will find the dictionary to be a vital resource.

Stem cells, regenerative medicine, and translational medicine, are all areas of burgeoning basic research and clinical application. This dictionary includes the fundamental terminology of each of these areas, the major discoveries and significant scientists that comprise the history and current development of the field, as well as a number of concepts. The vocabulary is presented within the broader lexicon of developmental biology and embryology, which provides context for these three fields. Topics covered range from stem cells (embryonic, adult, and iPSCs) to teratology. The inclusion of extensive cross-referencing of the terms will enable readers to broaden their understanding of them. The Dictionary of Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine, and Translational Medicine will provide both the basic background terminology needed by pre-health professions/biology major undergraduate students and early-stage graduate students, as well as being a valuable reference for university professors, researchers and peers in related disciplines.

Containing 609 encyclopedic articles written by more than 200 prominent scholars, The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science presents an unparalleled history of the field invaluable to anyone with an interest in the technology, ideas, discoveries, and learned institutions that have shaped our world over the past five centuries. Focusing on the period from the Renaissance to the early twenty-first century, the articles cover all disciplines (Biology, Alchemy, Behaviorism), historical periods (the Scientific Revolution, World War II, the Cold War), concepts (Hypothesis, Space and Time, Ether), and methodologies and philosophies (Observation and Experiment, Darwinism). Coverage is international, tracing the spread of science from its traditional centers and explaining how the prevailing knowledge of non-Western societies has modified or contributed to the dominant global science as it is currently understood. Revealing the interplay between science and the wider culture, the Companion includes entries on topics such as minority groups, art, religion, and science's practical applications. One hundred biographies of the most iconic historic figures, chosen for their contributions to science and the interest of their lives, are also included. Above all The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science is a companion to world history: modern in coverage, generous in breadth, and cosmopolitan in scope. The volume's utility is enhanced by a thematic outline of the entire contents, a thorough system of cross-referencing, and a detailed index that enables the reader to follow a specific line of inquiry along various threads from multiple starting points. Each essay has numerous suggestions for further reading, all of which favor literature that is accessible to the general reader, and a bibliographical essay provides a general overview of the scholarship in the field. Lastly, as a contribution to the visual appeal of the Companion, over 100 black-and-white illustrations and an eight-page color section capture the eye and spark the imagination.

The Reader's Guide to the History of Science looks at the literature of science in some 550 entries on individuals (Einstein), institutions and disciplines (Mathematics), general themes (Romantic Science) and central concepts (Paradigm and Fact). The history of science is construed widely to include the history of medicine and technology as is reflected in the range of disciplines from which the international team of 200 contributors are drawn.

This Open Access book combines philosophical and historical analysis of various forms of alternatives to mechanism and mechanistic explanation, focusing on the 19th century to the present. It addresses vitalism, organicism and responses to materialism and its relevance to current biological science. In doing so, it promotes dialogue and discussion about the historical and philosophical importance of vitalism and other non-mechanistic conceptions of life. It points towards the integration of genomic science into the broader history of biology. It details a broad engagement with a variety of nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century vitalisms and conceptions of life. In addition, it discusses important threads in the history of concepts in the United States and Europe, including charting new reception histories in eastern and south-eastern Europe. While vitalism, organicism and similar epistemologies are often the concern of specialists in the history and philosophy of biology and of historians of ideas, the range of the contributions as well as the geographical and temporal scope of the volume allows for it to appeal to the historian of science and the historian of biology generally.

This volume explores questions about conceptual change from both scientific and philosophical viewpoints by analyzing the recent history of evolutionary developmental biology. It features revised papers that originated from the workshop "Conceptual Change in Biological Science: Evolutionary Developmental Biology, 1981-2011" held at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin in July 2010. The Preface has been written by Ron Amundson. In these papers, philosophers and biologists compare and contrast key concepts in evolutionary developmental biology and their development since the original, seminal Dahlem conference on evolution and development held in Berlin in 1981. Many of the original scientific participants from the 1981 conference are also contributors to this new volume and, in conjunction with other expert biologists and philosophers specializing on these topics, provide an authoritative, comprehensive view on the subject. Taken together, the papers supply novel perspectives on how and why the conceptual landscape has shifted and stabilized in particular ways, yielding insights into the dynamic epistemic changes that have occurred over the past three decades. This volume will appeal to philosophers of biology studying conceptual change, evolutionary developmental biologists focused on comprehending the genesis of their field and evaluating its future directions, and historians of biology examining this period when the intersection of ev olution and development rose again to prominence in biological science.

Historically, philosophers of biology have tended to sidestep the problem of development by focusing primarily on evolutionary biology and, more recently, on molecular biology and genetics. Quite often too, development has been misunderstood as simply, or even primarily, a matter of gene activation and regulation. Nowadays a growing number of philosophers of science are focusing their analyses on the complexities of development, and in Embryology, Epigenesis and Evolution Jason Scott Robert explores the nature of development against current trends in biological theory and practice and looks at the interrelations between development and evolution (evo-devo), an area of resurgent biological interest. Clearly written, this book should be of interest to students and professionals in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of biology.

In 2016 Current Topics in Developmental Biology (CTDB) will celebrate its 50th or "golden anniversary. To commemorate the founding of CTDB by Aron Moscona (1921-2009) and Alberto Monroy (1913-1986) in 1966, a two-volume set of CTDB (volumes 116 and 117), entitled Essays on Development, will be published by Academic Press/Elsevier in early 2016. The volumes are edited by Paul M. Wassarman, series editor of CTDB, and include contributions from dozens of outstanding developmental biologists from around the world. Overall, the essays provide critical reviews and discussion of developmental processes for a variety of model organisms. Many essays relate the history of a particular area of research, others personal experiences in research, and some are quite philosophical. Essays on Development provides a window onto the rich landscape of contemporary research in developmental biology and should be useful to both students and investigators for years to come. - Covers the area of developmental processes for a variety of model organisms - International board of authors - Part of two 50th Anniversary volumes proving a comprehensive set of reviews edited by Serial Editor Paul M. Wassarman