The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>The evolutionary synthesis, the standard 20<sup>th </sup>century view of how evolutionary change occurs, is based on selection, heritable phenotypic variation and a very simple view of genes. It is therefore unable to incorporate two key aspects of mo...

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Main Author: Bard Jonathan BL
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2011-11-01
Series:Cell Communication and Signaling
Online Access:http://www.biosignaling.com/content/9/1/30
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author Bard Jonathan BL
author_facet Bard Jonathan BL
author_sort Bard Jonathan BL
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>The evolutionary synthesis, the standard 20<sup>th </sup>century view of how evolutionary change occurs, is based on selection, heritable phenotypic variation and a very simple view of genes. It is therefore unable to incorporate two key aspects of modern molecular knowledge: first is the richness of genomic variation, so much more complicated than simple mutation, and second is the opaque relationship between the genotype and its resulting phenotype. Two new and important books shed some light on how we should view evolutionary change now. <it>Evolution: a view from the 21<sup>st </sup>century </it>by J.A. Shapiro (2011, FT Press Science, New Jersey, USA. pp. 246. $34.99.) examines the richness of genomic variation and its implications. <it>Transformations of Lamarckism: from Subtle Fluids to Molecular Biology </it>edited by S.B. Gissis & E. Jablonka (2011, MIT Press, Cambridge, USA. pp. 457) includes some 40 papers that anyone with an interest in the history of evolutionary thought and the relationship between the environment and the genome will want to read. This review discusses both books within the context of contemporary evolutionary thinking and points out that neither really comes to terms with today's key systems-biology question: how does mutation-induced variation in a molecular network generate variation in the resulting phenotype?</p>
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spelling doaj.art-9484593ad5c8467aa0f37f7c5320b8d12022-12-22T02:04:30ZengBMCCell Communication and Signaling1478-811X2011-11-01913010.1186/1478-811X-9-30The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biologyBard Jonathan BL<p>Abstract</p> <p>The evolutionary synthesis, the standard 20<sup>th </sup>century view of how evolutionary change occurs, is based on selection, heritable phenotypic variation and a very simple view of genes. It is therefore unable to incorporate two key aspects of modern molecular knowledge: first is the richness of genomic variation, so much more complicated than simple mutation, and second is the opaque relationship between the genotype and its resulting phenotype. Two new and important books shed some light on how we should view evolutionary change now. <it>Evolution: a view from the 21<sup>st </sup>century </it>by J.A. Shapiro (2011, FT Press Science, New Jersey, USA. pp. 246. $34.99.) examines the richness of genomic variation and its implications. <it>Transformations of Lamarckism: from Subtle Fluids to Molecular Biology </it>edited by S.B. Gissis & E. Jablonka (2011, MIT Press, Cambridge, USA. pp. 457) includes some 40 papers that anyone with an interest in the history of evolutionary thought and the relationship between the environment and the genome will want to read. This review discusses both books within the context of contemporary evolutionary thinking and points out that neither really comes to terms with today's key systems-biology question: how does mutation-induced variation in a molecular network generate variation in the resulting phenotype?</p>http://www.biosignaling.com/content/9/1/30
spellingShingle Bard Jonathan BL
The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
Cell Communication and Signaling
title The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
title_full The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
title_fullStr The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
title_full_unstemmed The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
title_short The next evolutionary synthesis: from Lamarck and Darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
title_sort next evolutionary synthesis from lamarck and darwin to genomic variation and systems biology
url http://www.biosignaling.com/content/9/1/30
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