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Congwen Wang's picture

The gradient in biology

(Sorry for the late posting)

I'm very interested in our discussion about the differences between brains of males and of females and how this only apply to population but not individual. My thoughts about that is, it is an other good example of the gradients in biology. For many traits - especially those in human brains - the difference among individuals is gradual. If we imagine different phenotype of a gene as an axis, we may see an end as "completely male" and the other "completely female", but most people's traits will probably fall between the two, and there are no breaking points on the axis. What biology always amazes me is the great diversity caused by the combination of these gradual differences among individuals. What is more, these gradients are not limited among organisms of the same species, but also through the line of evolution. When we look at brains of different mammals, we can see that as well. These gradients create infinite possibities of the biological world.

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