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Beyond DNA : how epigenetics is transforming our understanding of evolution / Benjamin Oldroyd.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Oldroyd, Benjamin P., author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Epigenetics.
- Epigenesis.
- Evolution (Biology).
- Genetics.
- DNA.
- Genomic imprinting.
- Gene expression.
- genetics.
- Physical Description:
- xiv, 290 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Carlton, Victoria : Melbourne University Press, 2023.
- Summary:
- "Uncover how a new approach to epigenetics affects the basis for our understanding of evolutionary biology. 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 personalised 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..."--Publisher's description.
- Contents:
- What is evolution?
- The back passages: epigenetic mechanisms that evade Weismann's Barrier
- Evolution by phenotypic and genetic assimilation
- Epigenetic inheritance in humans and other animals
- How epigenetic inheritance enhances the rate of evolution in plants
- Genomic imprinting
- Sex determination, sex reversal and homosexuality
- How epigenetics changes the genome
- Epigenetics and the origin of species
- Epigenetics and the rapid evolution of invasive species
- Epigenetics in health and human (un)happiness
- Does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.
- ISBN:
- 9780522878868
- 0522878865
- OCLC:
- 1373336881
- Publisher Number:
- 99996326534
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