The Major Transitions in Evolution

About this book

During evolution there have been several major changes in the way genetic information is organised and transmitted from one generation to the next. These transitions include the origin of life itself, the first eukaryotic cells, reproduction by sexual means, the appearance of multicellular plants and animals, the emergence of cooperation and of animal societies, and the unique language ability of humans. A common theme in the book is that entities that could replicate independently before the transition can replicate afterwards only as part of a larger whole. Why, then, does selection between entities at the lower level not disrupt selection at the higher level? In answering this question, the distinguished authors offer an explanation for the evolution of cooperation at all levels of complexity.

Contents

List of Tables
Preface

1. Introduction
2. What is Life?
3. Chemical evolution
4. The evolution of templates
5. The chicken and egg problem
6. The origin of translation and the genetic code
7. The origin of protocells
8. The origin of eukaryotes
9. The origin of sex and the nature of species
10. Intragenomic conflict
11. Symbiosis
12. Development in simple organisms
13. Gene regulation and cell heredity
14. The development of spatial patterns
15. Development and evolution
16. The origins of societies
17. The origins of language

References
Index

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