What makes a model organism?
Leonelli, Sabina; Ankeny, Rachel A.
Date: 9 July 2013
Article
Journal
Endeavour
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher DOI
Related links
Abstract
This article explains the key role of model organisms
within contemporary research, while at the same time
acknowledging their limitations as biological models.
We analyse the epistemic and social characteristics of
model organism biology as a form of ‘‘big science’’,
which includes the development of large, centralised
infrastructures, ...
This article explains the key role of model organisms
within contemporary research, while at the same time
acknowledging their limitations as biological models.
We analyse the epistemic and social characteristics of
model organism biology as a form of ‘‘big science’’,
which includes the development of large, centralised
infrastructures, a shared ethos and a specific long-term
vision about the ‘‘right way’’ to do research. In order to
make wise use of existing resources, researchers now
find themselves committed to carrying out this vision
with its accompanying assumptions. By clarifying the
specific characteristics of model organism work, we aim
to provide a framework to assess how much funding
should be allocated to such research. On the one hand, it
is imperative to exploit the resources and knowledge
accumulated using these models to study more diverse
groups of organisms. On the other hand, this type of
research may be inappropriate for research programmes
where the processes of interest are much more delimited,
can be usefully studied in isolation and/or are
simply not captured by model organism biology.
Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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