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I think that you have been surprised, just as I was, by the discovery that form and function develop according to the same principles (3.1). Both are adaptations to a certain environment. They differ in that their positions on the time-scale are at opposite ends of a time-window: we observe form-adaptation (morphogenesis) by shrinking a long period of time, we observe function through a time-stretching device, and they are exactly the same.
This is J.Pringle's discovery: while studying the contractions of flight muscles in insects, his interest was aroused by a relatively autonomous oscillator that, interacting with structures evolved for the purpose of air-borne motion, served a vital function in an animal's life. He directed his attention to other oscillating systems and discovered that non-linear oscillations play a pivotal role in many life-processes, such as epigenesis (the activity of gene-expression during individual development), metabolism, and learning.
When I wrote to Dr Pringle in 1972 and showed my interest, he referred me to the work of Goodwin. This brings us back to our topic: time as an organizer of growth and development.
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