Symbiosis in evolution - an origin story
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005 - 036
- Zusammenfsg.
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This paper aims to provide an historical overview of the central debates concerning the role of symbiosis in cell evolution. It shows how, throughout most of the twentieth century, suggestions that symbiosis was a primordial characteristic of life were made in virtual opposition to the central doctrines and theories of the major biological disciplines. It examines the contexts in which the role of symbiosis in cell evolution emerged from its mythic origins and rose to a prominent place in biological discourse during the 1960s and 70s. The continued difficulties in reaching consensus centred on conflicting interpretations of the relationship between facts and theories, and of the nature and role of theory in scientific practice.