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Mutation, Randomness, and Evolution

2021-04-22 Science
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Release : 2021-04-22
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 968/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Mutation, Randomness, and Evolution by : Arlin Stoltzfus

Download or read book Mutation, Randomness, and Evolution written by Arlin Stoltzfus. This book was released on 2021-04-22. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean to say that mutation is random? How does mutation influence evolution? Are mutations merely the raw material for selection to shape adaptations? The author draws on a detailed knowledge of mutational mechanisms to argue that the randomness doctrine is best understood, not as a fact-based conclusion, but as the premise of a neo-Darwinian research program focused on selection. The successes of this research program created a blind spot - in mathematical models and verbal theories of causation - that has stymied efforts to re-think the role of variation. However, recent theoretical and empirical work shows that mutational biases can and do influence the course of evolution, including adaptive evolution, through a first come, first served mechanism. This thought-provoking book cuts through the conceptual tangle at the intersection of mutation, randomness, and evolution, offering a fresh, far-reaching, and testable view of the role of variation as a dispositional evolutionary factor. The arguments will be accessible to philosophers and historians with a serious interest in evolution, as well as to researchers and advanced students of evolution focused on molecules, microbes, evo-devo, and population genetics.

Randomness in Evolution

2013-03-24 Science
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Release : 2013-03-24
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 014/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Randomness in Evolution by : John Tyler Bonner

Download or read book Randomness in Evolution written by John Tyler Bonner. This book was released on 2013-03-24. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Tyler Bonner here challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology.

Chance in Evolution

2016-10-25 Science
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Release : 2016-10-25
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 91X/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Chance in Evolution by : Grant Ramsey

Download or read book Chance in Evolution written by Grant Ramsey. This book was released on 2016-10-25. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illuminating volume explores the effects of chance on evolution, covering diverse perspectives from scientists, philosophers, and historians. The evolution of species, from single-celled organisms to multicellular animals and plants, is the result of a long and highly chancy history. But how profoundly has chance shaped life on earth? And what, precisely, do we mean by chance? Bringing together biologists, philosophers of science, and historians of science, Chance in Evolution is the first book to untangle the far-reaching effects of chance, contingency, and randomness on the evolution of life. The book begins by placing chance in historical context, starting with the ancients and moving through Darwin to contemporary biology. It documents the shifts in our understanding of chance as Darwin’s theory of evolution developed into the modern synthesis, and how the acceptance of chance in Darwinian theory affected theological resistance to it. Other chapters discuss how chance relates to the concepts of genetic drift, mutation, and parallel evolution—as well as recent work in paleobiology and the experimental evolution of microbes. By engaging in collaboration across biology, history, philosophy, and theology, this book offers a comprehensive overview both of the history of chance in evolution and of our current understanding of the impact of chance on life.

Mutation-Driven Evolution

2013-05-02 Science
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Release : 2013-05-02
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 731/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Mutation-Driven Evolution by : Masatoshi Nei

Download or read book Mutation-Driven Evolution written by Masatoshi Nei. This book was released on 2013-05-02. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this book is to present a new theory of mutation-driven evolution, which is based on recent advances in genomics and evolutionary developmental biology. This theory asserts that the driving force of evolution is mutation and natural selection is of secondary importance.

Randomness in Evolution

2013-03-21 Science
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Release : 2013-03-21
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 420/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Randomness in Evolution by : John Tyler Bonner

Download or read book Randomness in Evolution written by John Tyler Bonner. This book was released on 2013-03-21. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The important role that randomness plays in evolutionary change John Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and insightful biologists, here challenges a central tenet of evolutionary biology. In this concise, elegantly written book, he makes the bold and provocative claim that some biological diversity may be explained by something other than natural selection. With his customary wit and accessible style, Bonner makes an argument for the underappreciated role that randomness—or chance—plays in evolution. Due to the tremendous and enduring influence of Darwin's natural selection, the importance of randomness has been to some extent overshadowed. Bonner shows how the effects of randomness differ for organisms of different sizes, and how the smaller an organism is, the more likely it is that morphological differences will be random and selection may not be involved to any degree. He traces the increase in size and complexity of organisms over geological time, and looks at the varying significance of randomness at different size levels, from microorganisms to large mammals. Bonner also discusses how sexual cycles vary depending on size and complexity, and how the trend away from randomness in higher forms has even been reversed in some social organisms. Certain to provoke lively discussion, Randomness in Evolution is a book that may fundamentally change our understanding of evolution and the history of life.

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