Re: Another gem from the library...

[John M <***>]

Jerry,
When I read Lynn Margulis' book on symbiosis - as a
non biologist or geneticist - I thought in terms of
(my) colloidal science (in the late 80s, before I
detected that there is a 'wholeness' and was happily
practicing reductionism) - I wrote to her an e-mail
proposing the term for the evolution of eucaryotes
from procaryotes by symbiosis: first keeping together
then sharing tasks  then one diffusing through the
outer membrane of the other partner into it - forming
a nucleus later on. As I recall (that was before my
computer virus-washout) she replied that this would be
a great idea to justify in detail. I did not continue
the line.
It was the same diffusion-based processing what I
added (early 90s) to the Cairns-Smith "clay"
proto-life narrative-idea with silicate
macromolecules. My (WEB) addition included the
adsorbing of organic comounds to later take over and
form inorganic-containing organic macromolecules with
all that obscene processing we call 'life' and its
propagation today.

As for symbiosis of organisms with(in) organisms?
think of the factions in political parties. Symbionts
of humans. Or even (semi?) autonomous divisions in a
corporation. Or the life of a tribe... -> society.
Or the Domions within the British Empire (now
defunct).
We have to step out from the boundaries of bio-models
we are closed into. At least on this list.<G>

Then again why don't you call bacteria as 'organism'?
a cell is one, if you regard it in its
interconnections beyond the cell-wall (and
life-processes go beyond, by interchange of the
ambiance's and even more remote effects'. Pro- or
Eucaryotes, cells of mono- or multicellular units, all
interact with materials, physical etc. effects, -
registered or unobserved - in a much wider sense than
contemplated in Biology 101. 

John M
 

--- Jerry Zhu <***> wrote:

> Judith, this is a good book. thanks, Symboisis is
> one
> of the driving forces for evolution.  It occurs at
> the
> levels of bacteria and social systems(acquisition). 
> But I didn't see symbosis occur at the levels of
> multicellular organisms.   THere are bacteria inside
> an organsim not an organism inside aonther organism.
> 
> Jerry
> 
>