The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Morphoses

nonhereditary changes caused in the somatic cells of an organism by factors from the environment. Morphoses arise as a result of the disruption of the normal function of the genes.

Typical morphoses are created under experimental conditions when the developing organism is treated with certain chemical substances (chemomorphoses) or with ionizing radiation (radiomorphoses). Thus, when Drosophila larvae are exposed to X rays, up to 100 percent of individuals have homotypic morphoses (divaricate or notched wings) that imitate mutations. Although morphoses usually present marked deviations from parental forms, they are nonadaptive.

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References in periodicals archive

"Being associate director in Washington and rehearsal director with Morphoses was good training," he says.

The Billys' Coach: a ballet career finally led Jeff Edwards to his Broadway destiny

Wisely, Wheeldon is using Morphoses to showcase not only his own ballets but works by other choreographers.

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company

In addition to making his own works, the newly minted artistic director invited emerging choreographers, such as Morphoses' dancer Edwaard Liang, to create ballets, and William Forsythe contributed his famous Slingerland Pas de Deux.

George Piper Dances, who made these "filmlets" for Morphoses, which can be seen on the company's website (www.morphoses.org).

In a spacious, high-ceilinged studio at City Center, home base for Morphoses, about 50 chairs line the mirrored wall.

Meta Morphoses: Christopher Wheeldon forges ahead with phase two

Morphoses' charter season of two programs at City Center offered much to savor: an all-star cast, live music, and a concentration of Christopher Wheeldon's choreography.

In Morphoses (2002), four dancers lay on their backs to form a cross then rolled to skew the shape, which seemed remarkably new.

Morphoses, The Wheeldon Company

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