Jaroslav Flegr Explained

Jaroslav Flegr
Birth Date:12 March 1958[1]
Birth Place:Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)
Nationality:Czech
Field:Parasitology
Work Institution:Charles University in Prague
Known For:research into toxoplasmosis
Prizes:Ig Nobel Prize in Public Health (2014)

Jaroslav Flegr (born 12 March 1958) is a Czech parasitologist, evolutionary biologist, and author of the book Frozen Evolution.[2] He is professor of biology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague,[3] and is a member of the editorial board of the journal Neuroendocrinology Letters.[4]

His work on how toxoplasmosis—an infection caused by the protozoan parasite T. gondii—influences personality,[5] sex ratios,[6] and rates of traffic accidents,[7] [8] has received coverage in The Atlantic,[9] Salon,[10] and The Guardian.[11] Flegr maintains that toxoplasmosis might increase the rate of traffic accidents by as much as one million collisions per year.[12] [13] [14] He also believes that T. gondii contributes to suicides and mental disorders such as schizophrenia.[9]

Frozen Evolution

Frozen Evolution is a popular science book which aims to explain current developments in evolutionary biology to a wide audience. It also contains information boxes which clarify important topics in science like peer review, scientific journals, citation metrics, philosophy of science, paradigm shifts, and Occam's razor. Flegr's previous research in toxoplasmosis is also mentioned.

The book also discusses Flegr's model of frozen plasticity, a hypothesis that describes a possible mechanism for the origin of adaptive traits. This hypothesis proposes that natural selection can only explain adaptation in limited conditions, for example when populations are genetically homogeneous. He describes frozen plasticity as being more general, and maintains that it better explains the origin of adaptive traits in genetically heterogeneous populations of sexual reproducing organisms.[15] His hypothesis of frozen plasticity is an extension of Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould's theory of punctuated equilibria,[16] which describes the history of most fossil species as being relatively stable for millions of years, later punctuated by swift periods of evolutionary change during speciation.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jaroslav Flegr – nakladatelství Academia . 12 May 2013 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235822/http://www.academia.cas.cz/autori/jaroslav-flegr.html . dead .
  2. A review of Frozen Evolution: Or That's Not the Way It is, Mr. Darwin, edited by Jaroslav Flegr . 2009 . Hall, B.K. . Evolution & Development . 126–129 . 11 . 1 . 2009-06-24 . 10.1111/j.1525-142X.2008.00310.x.
  3. http://www.natur.cuni.cz/flegr/ Jaroslav Flegr
  4. http://www.nel.edu/EditBoard.htm Board of Editors
  5. Flegr J . Effects of Toxoplasma on Human Behavior . Schizophr Bull . 33 . 3 . 757–60 . May 2007 . 17218612 . 2526142 . 10.1093/schbul/sbl074.
  6. Kanková S, Sulc J, Nouzová K, Fajfrlík K, Frynta D, Flegr J . Women infected with parasite Toxoplasma have more sons . Naturwissenschaften . 94 . 2 . 122–7 . February 2007 . 17028886 . 10.1007/s00114-006-0166-2. 2007NW.....94..122K . 9610443 .
  7. Flegr J, Havlícek J, Kodym P, Malý M, Smahel Z . Increased risk of traffic accidents in subjects with latent toxoplasmosis: a retrospective case-control study . BMC Infect. Dis. . 2. 11 . July 2002 . 12095427 . 117239 . 10.1186/1471-2334-2-11 . free .
  8. Flegr J, Klose J, Novotná M, Berenreitterová M, Havlícek J . Increased incidence of traffic accidents in Toxoplasma-infected military drivers and protective effect RhD molecule revealed by a large-scale prospective cohort study . BMC Infect. Dis. . 9. 72 . 2009 . 19470165 . 2692860 . 10.1186/1471-2334-9-72 . free .
  9. McAuliffe, Kathleen (2012). "How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy." March issue.
  10. Web site: Want a boy? Change the kitty litter . Salon.com . Catherine Price . 24 June 2009. 2007-03-13 .
  11. News: Can a parasite carried by cats change your personality? . The Guardian . 24 June 2009 . London . David . Adam . 25 September 2003.
  12. News: Cat bug link to 1m crashes . Scotsman.com . 24 June 2009 . Edinburgh . 4 June 2009.
  13. Web site: Czech scientists make unique finding on Rh factor effect . Prague Monitor . 24 June 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090607021143/http://praguemonitor.com/2009/05/29/czech-scientists-make-unique-finding-rh-factor-effect . 7 June 2009 .
  14. Web site: Times Higher Education – Findings: 'Harmless' bug may be killer . Times Higher Education Supplement . Caroline Davis . 24 June 2009. 2002-08-08 .
  15. Flegr, Jaroslav (1999). Frozen Evolution: Or, That's Not the Way It Is, Mr. Darwin–Farewell to Selfish Gene. CIP Press (English translation).
  16. Flegr, Jaroslav (1999). Frozen Evolution, pp. 141–146, 149–156.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jaroslav Flegr".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.