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The question of why an individual would actively kill itself has long been an evolutionary mystery. Pierre M. Durand's ambitious book answers this question through close inspection of life and death in the earliest cellular life. As Durand shows us, cell death is a fascinating lens through which to examine the interconnectedness, in evolutionary terms, of life and death. It is a truism to note that one does not exist without the other, but just how does this play out in evolutionary history?
These two processes have been studied from philosophical, theoretical, experimental, and genomic angles, but no one has yet integrated the information from these various disciplines. In The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death, Durand synthesizes cellular studies of life and death looking at the origin of life and the evolutionary significance of programmed cellular death. The exciting and unexpected outcome of Durand's analysis is the realization that life and death exhibit features of coevolution. The evolution of more complex cellular life depended on the coadaptation between traits that promote life and those that promote death. In an ironic twist, it becomes clear that, in many circumstances, programmed cell death is essential for sustaining life.
Foreword (by Eugene V. Koonin)
Preface
List of abbreviations
An introduction to the scientific study of life and death
Part One: The origin of life
1 Philosophical considerations and the origin of life
2 The biotic world
3 The theory of life’s origins
4 Life at the very beginning I: the chemistry of the first biomolecules
5 Life at the very beginning II: the emergence of complex RNA molecules
6 The origin of life was an evolutionary transition in individuality
7 A synthesis for the origin of life
Part Two: The origin of death
8 Philosophical considerations and the origin of death
9 Observations of death
10 Mechanisms and measures of programmed cell death in the unicellular world
11 True PCD: when PCD is an adaptation
12 Ersatz PCD: the non-adaptive explanations for PCD
13 Programmed cell death and the levels of selection
14 A synthesis for the origin of programmed cell death
Part Three: Origins of life and death, and their coevolution
15 Group selection and the origins of life and death
16 Life and death coevolution, and the emergence of complexity
Postface
Additional notes
Reference list
Index
Pierre M. Durand first real exposure to biology was as an undergraduate student. Taking a shortcut to a physics lecture via the Zoology Department led to a serendipitous encounter with an exhibit on adaptive radiation in cichlids. A fascination with evolutionary biology began. He is an alumnus of King's College, London, and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he is currently reader in evolutionary biology. This is his first book.
“An eye opener for many readers, biologists, and others interested in visiting the frontiers of today’s conceptual thinking on evolution. This book, compact and simple but densely packed with information and ideas, presents the new edifice of evolutionary biology, a vibrant, progressing field that goes far beyond the confines of neo-Darwinism.”
– Eugene V. Koonin, National Center for Biotechnology Information, from the foreword
"There is no question that Durand is deeply learned. The way that he lays out his argument linking life and death is certainly innovative and I am sure will attract attention. Insightful and stimulating, The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death will forward discussion on important issues."
– Michael Ruse, Florida State University
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