Changes in developmental regulatory genes may be a critically important principle in the generation of new types of animals. This year, the developmental genetics seminar will concentrate on the new field of evolutionary developmental biology. This is a very new field, and one of the most exciting areas of contemporary biology. When we say that our contemporary horse with its single toe evolved from horse-like animals having five toes, we are saying that changes in gene expression during limb development have occurred during the evolution of the horse.
Genes act through development to create morphological structures.
To understand how a fin becomes a limb, it is necessary to understand the expression of the genes in the fin and limb and how they have changed. The developmental genetic approach to evolution complements and extends the population genetic approach to evolution. We will meet on Tuesday afternoons. On September 5 to discuss the background for the seminar and how it will be organized. What follows is a tentative syllabus.