Beyond DNA: How Epigenetics is Transforming our Understanding of Evolution
Beyond DNA is a journey through uncharted territory, advancing new ways of thinking about evolution and adaptation. For nearly a hundred years evolutionary biologists have understood that evolution proceeds by substituting better genes for less good ones. But consensus is growing that this is not the whole story: geneticists are now revealing that spores, sperm, pollen and ova are packed with personalized genetic information that plays an important role in offspring development and has lifelong effects. This epigenetic - or 'extra-genetic '-inheritance therefore makes significant contributions to evolutionary processes. In this highly accessible book, packed with instructive examples, Benjamin Oldroyd explains how a greater appreciation of the role of epigenetics is helping to solve a multitude of previously intractable problems in evolutionary biology - puzzles as varied as why invasive plants and animals can rapidly adapt to changes in their environment, how worker bees and queen bees can develop from the same egg, and why cancer becomes more common as we age.
Benjamin Oldroyd is Emeritus Professor of Behavioral Genetics at the University of Sydney. In 2020 Oldroyd was a resident fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Berlin, from where he edited a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London on epigenetics and evolution and wrote this book. Oldroyd is an experimental scientist who has published more than 300 scientific papers, mostly on honey bees and their evolution.
Ben's book: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-DNA-epi...
TIES NEW BOOK:
Written by members of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science who have tackled the topic of evolution in their classroom for decades, "On Teaching Evolution" offers practical advice and sample lesson plans for fellow science teachers. Learn about what inspired them to love teaching evolution and the experiences that help guide their teaching practices.
“If you can read this, thank a teacher” So runs a favorite t-shirt slogan. This book inspires me to coin a variant: “If you understand why you exist and rejoice in that understanding, thank a science teacher.” More specifically, thank a teacher of evolution." - From foreward by Richard Dawkins
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