Lec 16 | MIT 7.014 Introductory Biology, Spring 2005

The Biosphere (Prof. Penny Chisholm)

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Education

[tetranoob]

excellent lecture .

[mzw]

for me it grays out everything in the browser's viewing area, besides the actual video.

[FinsTnioli]

Admiration: i wish every lector would always make the same remark you did between 2:28 and 2:41 (interactive subtitles timing), i.e. "the goal is to learn, not necessarily to be right all the time" - in exactly this form. This is inspiring, adequate and very useful statement in a very complete form, in my opinion. I have never seen before for this idea to be put in such a short yet complete phraze. Thank you.

[FinsTnioli]

Objection: at 16:00, you say "this living planet". I can't see how it is so, at least if to follow (my favorite) definition of life, which was mentioned by Clair Edwin Folsome in his book "The Origin of Life" in 1979. Reproducing by memory: "Life is matter's property which leads to co-circulation of bio-elements in liquid water, powered (ultimately) by sunlight and characterised by continuosly increasing complexity". Planet Earth is mainly metals/magma/rock. "Dead as a rock" it mainly is, IMHO.

[FinsTnioli]

Objection: 21:34, you say ecology is complexity's best. I disagree. Physics is the 1st for me. From quantum physics to astrophysics, from the core of Earth through vast spaces of gas-dust clouds in space. Physics does the whole universe - ecology does volume of relatively thin layer near the surface of the Earth.

Proposition: instead of mentioning ecology is complexity at its best, i'd say ecology is so complex that we humans cannot yet comprehend even a small fraction of what we need to.

[FinsTnioli]

Commentary: i don't like your definitions of ecology that much. No idea what encyclopedias say about it (ain't no desire to quote wikipedia here, everyone can check if they want). Ye for me, ecology always was "biology, inc"; in proper english, "biology applied to living systems larger than any single specific organism - all the way up to Earth's biosphere as a whole". I don't like my own definition that much either, though. Better one than yours and mine should exist, i just bet.

[FinsTnioli]

Objection: not all organisms depend on each other. Most do, sure, but some plants (and, i guess, bacteria) are just ok without any other species ever being around nor providing products of their methabolism in any form. If that wouldn't be the case, then 1st plant-like life (i guess it was in oceans) some ~4 billions years ago - wouldn't ever appear. Plants, obviously, have a "luxury" of energy input (sunlight) to afford it; and some bacteria are non-oxygen breathing (living in thermals, etc).

[chihuahuabebi]

she pasues too much,,,,i dont like her

[robmutch1]

Thanks for posting. Great lecture. :o)