Mutation, Randomness, and Evolution

The author draws on a detailed knowledge of mutational mechanisms to argue that the randomness doctrine is best understood, not as a fact-based conclusion, but as the premise of a neo-Darwinian research program focused on selection.

List of contents

• 1: Introduction: A Curious Disconnect


• 2: Ordinary Randomness


• 3: Practical Randomness


• 4: Evolutionary Randomness


• 5: Mutational Mechanisms and Evolvability


• 6: Randomness as Irrelevance


• 7: The Problem of Variation


• 8: Climbing Mount Probable


• 9: The Revolt of the Clay


• 10: Moving On


• Appendix A: Mutation Exemplars


• Appendix B: Counting the Universe of Mutations


• Appendix C: Randomness Quotations


• Appendix D: Irrelevance Quotations

About the author

Arlin Stoltzfus is a Fellow of the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, and a Research Biologist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA . He is an evolutionary biologist who uses computer-based approaches to study evolution at the molecular level. His primary interest has been to develop and evaluate theories about evolutionary factors other than natural selection. He and his coworkers proposed the theory of Constructive Neutral Evolution, and showed theoretically that biases in the introduction of variation may impose biases on evolution without requiring neutrality.

Summary

The author draws on a detailed knowledge of mutational mechanisms to argue that the randomness doctrine is best understood, not as a fact-based conclusion, but as the premise of a neo-Darwinian research program focused on selection.

Product details

• Authors: Arlin Stoltzfus, Dr Arlin (Research Biologist Stoltzfus
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 05.06.2023
• EAN: 9780192872579
• ISBN: 978-0-19-287257-9
• No. of pages: 288
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Genetics, genetic engineering; Evolution, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics, Philosophy of Science, molecular biology, Genetics (non-medical), Dna & Genome, Computational biology / bioinformatics