The origin of species, revisited : a Victorian who anticipated modern developments in Darwin's theory / Donald R. Forsdyke.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Forsdyke, Donald R.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Romanes, George John, 1848-1894.

Romanes, George John.

Evolution (Biology)--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Evolution (Biology).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Kingston, Ont. ; Ithaca : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The trail led first to Joseph Hooker and Thomas Huxley, who had been both the theory's strongest supporters and its most penetrating critics, and eventually to Darwin's young research associate, the Victorian Georges Romanes, and to the Victorian-Edwardian, William Bateson. Although these men were well-known, their resolution of the origin of species paradox has either been ignored (Romanes), or ignored and reviled (Bateson). Four years after Darwin's death, Romanes published a theory of the origin of species by means of "physiological selection" that resolved the inconsistencies in Darwin's theory and introduced the idea of a "peculiarity" of the reproductive system that allowed selective fertility between "physiological complements." Forsdyke argues that the chemical basis of the origin of species by physiological selection is actually the species-dependent component of the base composition of DNA, showing that Romanes thus anticipated modern biochemistry. Using this new perspective Forsdyke considers some of the outstanding problems in biology and medicine, including the question of how "self" is distinguished from "not-self" by members of different species. Finally he examines the political and ideological forces that led to Romanes' contribution to evolutionary biology which has remained unappreciated until now.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Search for a Victorian

Evolution of Languages and Species

Variation, Heredity, Phenotypic and Reproductive Selection

Darwin’s Difficulties

Hybrid Sterility

Physiological Selection

Failure of Meiotic Pairing

Conjugation of the Chromosomes

Why Sex?

The Species-Dependent Component of Base Composition

Molecular Biology

Primary and Secondary Levels of Information

The Dominance of the Genome Phenotype

Initiation of Speciation

Relationship to Physiological Selection

The Divergence and Convergence of Species

Selfish Genes and Selfish Groups

Slow Fine-Tuning of Sequences

Fine-Tuning of RNAs

RNAs Driving on the Wrong Side

Protein Concentration and Genetic Dominance

Sex Chromosomes

The Darwinian Struggle for Truth

The Philosopher

Huxley and the Philosopher’s Wife

“We Commend This State of Mind”

Epilogue

References

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85963-3

9786612859632

0-7735-6962-6

OCLC:

144083812