Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine
Darwin's theory of evolution, which is based on variation, heredity, and selection, includes all biological fields and spreads to other areas such as philosophy. Medicine is an example of how the evolutionary perspective can greatly improve the understanding of concepts in an area, as human hea...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2023000100680&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1797644583117520896 |
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| author | C. Mermelstein M.L. Costa C.C. Coutinho |
| author_facet | C. Mermelstein M.L. Costa C.C. Coutinho |
| author_sort | C. Mermelstein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Darwin's theory of evolution, which is based on variation, heredity, and selection, includes all biological fields and spreads to other areas such as philosophy. Medicine is an example of how the evolutionary perspective can greatly improve the understanding of concepts in an area, as human health and pathological conditions are under the effect of evolution. Evolutionary medicine is an emerging paradigm for understanding human heterogeneity, health, and diseases. Nevertheless, there are indications that medical research and practice are only marginally affected by these ideas. Here, we investigate how concepts of biological evolution are employed in medical research. We use a bibliometric approach to look for the presence and frequency of biological evolution-related concepts in medical articles. The distribution of these concepts over the years is analyzed according to the medical specialty and the impact of the journal. Our data showed that: i) only a small percentage of articles in medical journals have an evolutionary perspective; ii) medical journals where these evolution-based articles are published focus on basic science, theoretical medicine, and less frequently, on applied medicine; iii) these articles are mostly from the microbiology, immunology, neurology, psychology, behavior, and oncology fields; and iv) viruses are the most frequently covered microorganisms, followed by bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. The collection of our results, considering the importance of evolutionary medicine in the medical field, highlights the need for a decisive change in perspective in medical research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:32:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-da8142a356c644f9a71f6457f9a19d0b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1414-431X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:32:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-da8142a356c644f9a71f6457f9a19d0b2023-10-31T07:44:51ZengAssociação Brasileira de Divulgação CientíficaBrazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research1414-431X2023-10-015610.1590/1414-431x2023e13052Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicineC. Mermelsteinhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8897-8526M.L. Costahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9037-0085C.C. Coutinhohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7768-1292Darwin's theory of evolution, which is based on variation, heredity, and selection, includes all biological fields and spreads to other areas such as philosophy. Medicine is an example of how the evolutionary perspective can greatly improve the understanding of concepts in an area, as human health and pathological conditions are under the effect of evolution. Evolutionary medicine is an emerging paradigm for understanding human heterogeneity, health, and diseases. Nevertheless, there are indications that medical research and practice are only marginally affected by these ideas. Here, we investigate how concepts of biological evolution are employed in medical research. We use a bibliometric approach to look for the presence and frequency of biological evolution-related concepts in medical articles. The distribution of these concepts over the years is analyzed according to the medical specialty and the impact of the journal. Our data showed that: i) only a small percentage of articles in medical journals have an evolutionary perspective; ii) medical journals where these evolution-based articles are published focus on basic science, theoretical medicine, and less frequently, on applied medicine; iii) these articles are mostly from the microbiology, immunology, neurology, psychology, behavior, and oncology fields; and iv) viruses are the most frequently covered microorganisms, followed by bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. The collection of our results, considering the importance of evolutionary medicine in the medical field, highlights the need for a decisive change in perspective in medical research.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2023000100680&tlng=enEvolutionMedicineBibliometricsEducationCurriculumMedical |
| spellingShingle | C. Mermelstein M.L. Costa C.C. Coutinho Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research Evolution Medicine Bibliometrics Education Curriculum Medical |
| title | Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine |
| title_full | Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine |
| title_short | Evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine |
| title_sort | evaluating the dissemination of evolutionary biology concepts in medicine |
| topic | Evolution Medicine Bibliometrics Education Curriculum Medical |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2023000100680&tlng=en |
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