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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Molecular biology
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The Origins of Evolutionary Innovations - A Theory of Transformative Change in Living Systems (Hardcover, New)
Loot Price: R4,600
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The Origins of Evolutionary Innovations - A Theory of Transformative Change in Living Systems (Hardcover, New)
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The history of life is a nearly four billion year old story of
transformative change. This change ranges from dramatic macroscopic
innovations such as the evolution of wings or eyes, to a myriad of
molecular changes that form the basis of macroscopic innovations.
We are familiar with many examples of innovations (qualitatively
new phenotypes that can provide a critical advantage) but have no
systematic understanding of the principles that allow organisms to
innovate. This book proposes several such principles as the basis
of a theory of innovation, integrating recent knowledge about
complex molecular phenotypes with more traditional Darwinian
thinking. Central to the book are genotype networks: vast sets of
connected genotypes that exist in metabolism and regulatory
circuitry, as well as in protein and RNA molecules. The theory can
successfully unify innovations that occur at different levels of
organization. It captures known features of biological innovation,
including the fact that many innovations occur multiple times
independently, and that they combine existing parts of a system to
new purposes. It also argues that environmental change is important
to create biological systems that are both complex and robust, and
shows how such robustness can facilitate innovation. Beyond that,
the theory can reconcile neutralism and selectionism, as well as
explain the role of phenotypic plasticity, gene duplication,
recombination, and cryptic variation in innovation. Finally, its
principles can be applied to technological innovation, and thus
open to human engineering endeavours the powerful principles that
have allowed life's spectacular success.
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