Jesse Scott

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Functional biology, Mayr argues, is concerned with how questions: How does an organ function, or a gene, or a wing? The answers to these are proximate levels of explanation. Evolutionary biology, in contrast, is concerned with why questions: Why does an organ persist, why is a gene in this organism but not that one, why is the swallow’s wing shaped the way that it is? The answers to these are ultimate levels of explanation.
A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life
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