Ingenious Genes: How Gene Regulation Networks Evolve to Control Development (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology)
Some years ago Darwinian models leapt from biology to cognitive science and gave rise to connectionism. Now connectionist modeling returns to molecular biology to explain development via regulatory gene networks.Ingenious Genessolves the problems in the path of understanding how, in Roger Sansom's words, 'novelty that adds complexity has a chance to be adaptive.' It's a signal combination of philosophy of science, theoretical biology, and interdisciplinary integration.(Alexander Rosenberg, R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy, Duke University)In this elegant book Roger Sansom makes a very strong case that his novel approach to gene regulation is the key to solving the long standing problem of how mutations can lead to adaptive complexity in organisms. This engaging and provocative book is an essential read for everyone interested in the development of evolutionary theory.(Stephen M. Downes, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of Utah)Ingenious Genesis the first full-fledged study of gene regulation networks under the lenses of ontogeny and the evolvability of biological individuals. Sansom's view sheds new light on our understanding of developmental processes, which draws from parallels with networks studied in AI, and makes the book a must-read in the field.(Andrea Borghini, Department of Philosophy, College of the Holy Cross)This book is well written and presents compelling new ways to examine the interface between gene regulation and development.(R.K. HarrisChoice)By identifying an important, unresolved problem and laying out a clear proposed solution,Ingenious Genesmakes a thought-provoking contribution to both systems biology and evolutionary biology.(BioScience)