Darwin In the Genome: Molecular Strategies in Biological Evolution

Lynn Caporale, A Molecular Biologist At The Forefront Of Genomics Research, Offers An Exciting New Theory That Sees Past Both The Ideas Of A Random Model, And The Alternative Of Divine Intervention, To See A More Subtle And Intricate Mechanism At Work: A Mechanism That Looks Startlingly Strategic And Purposeful, And Yet Is Consistent With The Basic Darwinian Model. Simply Put: Not All Mutations Are Random Accidents. In The Struggle For Survival - From Pathogens To Flowers, Birds To Orangutans, Baker's Yeast To Human Beings - The Fittest Genomes Are Brilliant Strategists, Responding To, And In Fact Anticipating, Challenges And Opportunities In Their Environments. Writing With Clarity And Rigor, Lynn Caporale Describes The Emergence Of Genomic Mutations Strategies, Spelling Out Some Of The More Profound Implications Of These Findings, Including The Possibility Of Bold New Directions For Medical Research, And The Inherent Dangers Of Attempting To Fix Perceived Errors In A Human Genome, All The While Stressing The Importance Of Human Diversity - And Biodiversity - For Survival In A World In Which Each Of Us Shares 99.97% Of Our Dna With Every Perfect Stranger On Earth.--jacket. Chance Favors The Prepared Genome -- Diversity Or Death -- The Magic Staircase -- Predators Battle Prey In The Genome -- Mutation Is Not Monotonous -- What The Antibody Genes Tell Us -- Slippery Dna And Tuning Knobs -- Everyone Has Something To Teach Us -- The Genome Sends And Sos -- Journeys Through Space And Time -- Strategies As Targets, Round One : The Pathogens -- Strategies As Targets, Round Two : Cancer -- Theme And Variations -- Family Heirlooms : A Framework For Evolution -- Interchangeable Parts -- Jumping Genes -- Be Prepared For The Unexpected -- Mixing Up Genes For The Children -- Sculpting The Genome -- Decoding Dna -- What Became Of The First Genome? Lynn Helena Caporale. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 209-236).