Shaping Life: Genes, Embryos, and EvolutionYale University Press, 01.01.1999 - 50 Seiten During the past ten years, there has been a revolution in our understanding of developmental biology, as scientists apply the ideas and techniques of genetics and embryology to the processes of development. In this book, John Maynard Smith gives an account of the progress that has been made in this field -- in our knowledge of both the development of individuals and the evolution of the species. Maynard Smith points out that there is a parallel between the developmental changes that convert an egg into an adult and the evolutionary changes converted simple single-celled ancestors into the existing array of multicellular animals and plants. Genetic studies provide the necessary link between development and evolution: natural selection explains how information is incorporated in the genome, and development shows what use is made of it during the development of each individual. Traditionally, two very different views have been held about development. Maynard Smith argues that the differences between them are not so much scientific as ideological -- one can be considered reductionist and the other holistic. But because of advances in the science underpinning both viewpoints, he says, the possibility of a dialogue between them is great, which will be beneficial to the entire discipline. |
Inhalt
The Recent Revolution | 1 |
Genetic Instructions | 18 |
Reductionists to the Right Holists to the Left | 41 |
Andere Ausgaben - Alle anzeigen
Shaping Life: Genes, Embryos, and Evolution John Maynard Smith,John Smith Eingeschränkte Leseprobe - 1999 |
Häufige Begriffe und Wortgruppen
Acetabularia Acetabularia acetabulum adaptive adult altering amino acid angelfish animals arthropods base sequence biologist Brian Goodwin calcium concentration cells changes chemical chromosome Colin Tudge conserved Cuvier cytoplasm Darwinian Darwinism Today debate depend devel developmental biology developmental genetics dorsal development Drosophila Drosophila embryo dynamic process dynamic systems early development early in development echinoderms EMBRYOS AND EVOLUTION enzymes evolution by natural EVOLUTION John Maynard evolutionary theory example gene activity genes coding genetic information Geoffroy Goodwin gradient Helena Cronin holistic homologous Hox genes induced insects John Maynard Smith lactose largest number Lewis Wolpert modular Monod morphogen morphology mouse and fly mRNA multicellular mutation natural selection opment phylotypic stage protein reaction and diffusion reductionist region regulation regulatory genes ring scientists sea urchin segments self-organized Shaping Life GENES signalling genes signalling system similar specified splash pattern stalk stripes switched template reproduction Turing wave understanding of development University Press ventral development vertebrates Wolpert