The fifth field of Ervin Laszlo

Increasingly gaining the attention of evolution theorists and other scientists is the new quantum‐vacuum‐interactive, or QVI‐field theory of Ervin Laszlo. Among other prospective advancements, this theory would add a fifth primary field to the four already identified by physics to account for the existence of the universe and our lives within it. As the physics and other matters involved make this new theory difficult for those other than physicists to understand, this account is written to provide a guide for the generalist and lay person.     

Religion as Attractor,Process, and Biology

Science and religion contend for the world's allegiance. Scientists are bewildered by people's acceptance of some seemingly irrational values and judgments endorsed by religion. They argue strenuously with people about the common good and systemic consequences of actions, but are trumped by religious nostrums. Why? Science and religion both arise from our bewilderment with the complexity of our lives. At their roots they are vital, necessary, liberating, and complementary processes. So, why the perceived conflict? Experiences of universal unity arise naturally in deep meditative states. What does this recently demonstrated biological fact tell us about our tendencies to religious belief?     

Evolution by Natural Selection: Darwin's Gift to Science and Religion

The argument-from-design, based on biological evidence, was elaborated by William Paley in his Natural Theology (1802). It was revived in the 1990s by several authors, with a new moniker, the theory of intelligent design. In The Origin of Species (1859), Darwin advanced a scientific explanation of the design of organisms: evolution by natural selection. Organisms are pervaded by imperfections, dysfunctions, cruelties, and even sadism. The theory of evolution accounts for these mishaps, by natural selection, so that they need not be attributed to God's explicit design. The theory of evolution by natural selection is Darwin's gift to religion, in addition to its centrality in biology.     

The Study of Socioethical Issues in Systems Biology

Systems biology is the rapidly growing and heavily funded successor science to genomics. Its mission is to integrate extensive bodies of molecular data into a detailed mathematical understanding of all life processes, with an ultimate view to their prediction and control. Despite its high profile and widespread practice, there has so far been almost no bioethical attention paid to systems biology and its potential social consequences. We outline some of systems biology's most important socioethical issues by contrasting the concept of systems as dynamic processes against the common static interpretation of genomes. New issues arise around systems biology's capacities for in silico testing, changing cultural understandings of life, synthetic biology, and commercialization. We advocate an interdisciplinary and interactive approach that integrates social and philosophical analysis and engages closely with the science. Overall, we argue that systems biology socioethics could stimulate new ways of thinking about socioethical studies of life sciences.     

Universal Biology Does Not Prescribe Planetary Isolationism

Stephen Hawking’s caution against messaging extraterrestrial intelligence is a claim of universal biology and is probably false.     

合成生物学治理的国外经验综述及启示

鉴于合成生物学发展的不确定性及其对人类社会带来的制度、伦理等方面的挑战,提出有效的治理框架至关重要。虽然各国在合成生物学研究领域的地位和预期可能对治理共识的形成造成巨大影响,但通过多主体协作治理,不断推进监管制度改革来应对包括合成生物学等新兴技术的发展问题,即适应性治理,已是国际共识。公共管理的TAPIC框架有助于对合成生物学等新兴领域治理的理解。分析结果表明,各国不同的治理制度、科技发展水平和愿景对其治理影响深刻,必须加强问责制,参与性和完整性因素,以提高各国对新兴技术发展的治理水平。     

数据、信息与生命——文特尔生命观研究

人类对“生命是什么”的探索从未停止,而合成生物学正在成为认知与改造生命的重要方式之一,同时深刻地改变着人类的生命观。以活力论与还原论争论作为历史背景,通过系统地回顾和分析“人造生命之父”克雷格·文特尔开展合成基因组实验、染色体移植实验、合成细胞实验的过程与内容,探讨文特尔“生命是一个信息系统”生命观的内涵并且明确文特尔合成生物学成就的科学意义与社会价值,并以此为案例解读合成生物学中涉及的生物安全和生命伦理问题。

     

合成生物技术伴生风险的刑法规制

合成生物技术的开发和应用潜藏着较大的生物安全风险,既有因人类认知局限而生的客观风险,又有人为故意或过失引发的主观风险。面对合成生物技术对生物安全的严重威胁,现行刑法仅依托零散的相关罪名间接应对,存在针对性不足、规范留有漏洞、事后回应迟延等问题。应对合成生物技术伴生风险需要引入提前预防的理念,这是国家总体安全观的基本要求,也是积极刑法观的自然演绎,更是治理合成生物技术伴生风险的实践需要。具体而言,应以体系性规范取代间接性规制,以事前预防取代事后回应,并借助比例原则防范处罚早期化后出现的制度风险。

     

工作记忆中央执行成分对估算表现的影响

工作记忆中央执行成分在计算加工的诸多过程中发挥重要影响。以82名大学生为被试,采用双任务实验范式考察工作记忆中央执行成分对估算表现的影响。结果发现：1）估算过程需要中央执行成分的参与,增加中央执行成分负荷会导致估算准确率下降;2）无论是否增加中央执行负荷,问题大小效应在估算中均不明显;3）乘法个位数大小顺序会影响估算值的准确性,在有中央执行负荷时数字顺序效应明显。