The wisdom of the genes : new pathways in evolution
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The wisdom of the genes : new pathways in evolution
（Oxford paperbacks）
Oxford University Press, 1991
- : pbk
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Note
Reprint. Originally published: New York : Basic Books, 1989
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In this assessment of Darwinism, Christopher Wills explains how, during the course of their long histories, genes have acquired a "wisdom" that enables them to change more easily in some directions than in others. He opens up the recently discovered "molecular toolboxes" of evolution to reveal the workings of jumping genes, supergenes, and building-block genes - structures that have enormous implications for medicine and our understanding of how cells and organisms work, as well as revealing in great detail how the genes themselves have evolved. Conveying the excitement of scientists who are about to harness the processes of evolution to explore - and perhaps change - our genetic makeup, "The Wisdom of the Genes" traces the course of billions of years of life in order to show how the accumulated wisdom of this genetic machinery has shaped everything from mimicry in butterflies to our own remarkable immune systems.
Table of Contents
- Some evolutionary mysteries
- A new way of looking at evolution?
- How not to think about evolution
- The role of mutation
- Of tuxedos and antibodies
- An evolutionary toolbox
- Of butterflies and handbags
- The evolutionary Orient Express
- The increasing sophistication of evolution
- Potential-realizing and potential-altering mutations
- Closing the circle.
by "Nielsen BookData"