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It should be the ultimate goal of any theory of evolution to delineate the contours of an integrative system to answer the question: How does life (in all its complexity) evolve (which can be called mega‐evolution)? But how to plausibly define 'life'? My answer (1994–2023) is: 'life' sounds like a noun, but denotes an activity, and thus is a verb. Life (L) denotes nothing else than the total sum (∑) of all acts of communication (transfer of information) (C) executed by any type of senders–receivers at all their levels (up to at least 15) of compartmental organization: L = ∑C. The 'communicating compartment' is better suited to serve as the universal unit of structure, function and evolution than the cell, the smallest such unit. By paying as much importance to communication activity as to the Central Dogma of molecular biology, a wealth of new insights unfold. The major ones are as follows. (1) Living compartments have not only a genetic memory (DNA), but also a still enigmatic cognitive and an electrical memory system (and thus a triple memory system). (2) Complex compartments can have up to three types of progeny: genetic descendants/children, pupils/learners and electricians. (3) Of particular importance to adaptation, any act of communication is a problem‐solving act because all messages need to be decoded. Hence through problem‐solving that precedes selection, life itself is the driving force of its own evolution (a very clever but counterintuitive and unexpected logical deduction). Perhaps, this is the 'vital force' philosopher and Nobel laureate (in 1927) Henri Bergson searched for but did not find. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to identify efficiency of recurrent selection program to improve maize population. This program was applied to var. Buhooth 106 with var. 5012 Using RGCA with the inbred Zm7 for the production of RSCA. The recurrent selection program was implemented for four consecutive seasons (2020 - 2021) at the Fields Station of the College of Agriculture - University of Anbar. In the spring season 2020, 100 top crosses were obtained from both varieties and progeny. During the fall season 2020, an experiment was carried out to compare the top crosses of each variety RGCA and RSCA using a 10 × 10 partially balanced lattice design.. Six genotypes from each genetic population as well as Buhooth 106 and 5012 and Zm7 inbreds). The genotype-S1-2 RSCA achieved the lowest female flowering period for females 61.50 days, the highest number of rows per ear 17.80 rows, and the highest grain yield 177.82 g. The genotype-S1-3 RSCA achieved the highest leaf area 0.593 m² and the highest number of kernels per row 43.11 kernel. The broad sense heritability of the traits of the number of rows and the number of kernels in the row and the yield of the plant reached 53.23%, 73.85% and 41.94%, respectively, and high genetic advance for kernels per row and grain yield of 4.79 and 15.52 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]