Deep Homology? Uncanny Similarities of Humans and Flies Uncovered by Evo-Devo

About this book

Humans and flies look nothing alike, yet their genetic circuits are remarkably similar. Here, Lewis I. Held, Jr compares the genetics and development of the two to review the evidence for deep homology, the biggest discovery from the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology. Remnants of the operating system of our hypothetical common ancestor 600 million years ago are compared in chapters arranged by region of the body, from the nervous system, limbs and heart, to vision, hearing and smell. Concept maps provide a clear understanding of the complex subjects addressed, while encyclopaedic tables offer comprehensive inventories of genetic information. Written in an engaging style with a reference section listing thousands of relevant publications, this is a vital resource for scientific researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students.

Contents

1. Body axes
2. Nervous system
3. Vision
4. Touch and hearing
5. Smell and taste
6. Limbs
7. Heart

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Biography

Lewis I. Held, Jr is a fly geneticist who has taught human embryology for 30 years. He studied molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, 1973), investigated bristle patterning under John Gerhart at the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, 1977) and conducted postdoctoral research with Peter Bryant and Howard Schneiderman at the University of California, Irvine (1977–86). Deep Homology? is his fifth scholarly monograph, following Models for Embryonic Periodicity (1992), Imaginal Discs (2002), Quirks of Human Anatomy (2009) and How the Snake Lost its Legs (2014).