Imagine That in 2020 You Are the Top Biologist at a Research

question 20

Essay

Imagine that in 2020 you are the top biologist at a research station studying biodiversity in Costa Rica. A young scientist brings you a sample from a previously unexplored site. She asks you to look at the sample and determine whether it indeed contains microscopic, living organisms. As you begin your investigations, you must first decide what characteristics distinguish life from nonlife. How would you differentiate a living organism from nonliving matter (including viruses and prions)?

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Definitions:

Assortative Mating

A mating pattern where individuals with similar phenotypic or genetic traits tend to mate with each other more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern.

Marriage Market

Refers to a sociological concept in which prospective partners evaluate each other's assets and liabilities before committing to a marriage or long-term relationship.

Protestantism

A branch of Christianity that originated with the Reformation, a movement against what its followers considered excesses and errors of the Catholic Church.

Literacy Monopoly

The concentration of the ability to read and write within a specific group, limiting access to knowledge and power to others.