Darwinian Detectives: Revealing the Natural History of Genes and GenomesBiology is often viewed today as a bipartisan field, with molecular level genetics guiding us into the future and natural history (including ecology, evolution, and conservation biology,) chaining us to a descriptive scientific past. In Darwinian Detectives, Norman Johnson bridges this divide, revealing how the tried and true tools of natural history make sense of the newest genomic discoveries. Molecular scientists exploring newly sequenced genomes have stumbled upon quite a few surprises, including that only one to ten percent of the genetic material of animals actually codes for genes. What does the remaining 90-99% of the genome do? Why do some organisms have a much lower genome size than their close relatives? What were the genetic changes that were associated with us becoming human? As molecular biologists uncover these and other new mysteries, evolutionary geneticists are searching for answers to such questions. Norman Johnson captures the excitement of the hunt for our own genetic history. Through lively anecdotes, he explores how researchers detect natural selection acting on genes and what this genetic information tells us about human origins. |
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... Biology remains based on some type of creationism, as it was before Darwin published his theory of evolution, but ... biologists work out that the sickling is usually due to a single amino acid change in the string of amino acids that ...
... Biology remains based on some type of creationism, as it was before Darwin published his theory of evolution, but ... biologists work out that the sickling is usually due to a single amino acid change in the string of amino acids that ...
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... biologists. But if we suppose that the living world conforms to decipherable laws, beyond those of physics and chemistry alone, though not in violation of them, then we have to work out these laws. Having worked out these lawful ...
... biologists. But if we suppose that the living world conforms to decipherable laws, beyond those of physics and chemistry alone, though not in violation of them, then we have to work out these laws. Having worked out these lawful ...
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... biologists who are the detectives, the Columbos, the Miss Marples, often older or eccentric, driving ancient vehicles and muttering to themselves about things that the cops on the molecular biology beat find baffling. This engaging ...
... biologists who are the detectives, the Columbos, the Miss Marples, often older or eccentric, driving ancient vehicles and muttering to themselves about things that the cops on the molecular biology beat find baffling. This engaging ...
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... biologists can solve problems that Darwin couldn't, because our field has advanced far beyond the solid foundations that he hammered into the ground of biology; it is the most dauntingly mathematical part of biology. But not to fear ...
... biologists can solve problems that Darwin couldn't, because our field has advanced far beyond the solid foundations that he hammered into the ground of biology; it is the most dauntingly mathematical part of biology. But not to fear ...
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... biological evolution to their repertoire of general knowledge. Norman Johnson introduces the educated reader, one who knows perhaps a smattering of science, to some of the most exciting mysteries in biology, mysteries that only ...
... biological evolution to their repertoire of general knowledge. Norman Johnson introduces the educated reader, one who knows perhaps a smattering of science, to some of the most exciting mysteries in biology, mysteries that only ...
Contents
Why Evolution Still Matters | |
Negative Selection and the Neutral Theory of Molecular | |
Detecting Positive Selection | |
Balancing Selection and Disease | |
Human Origins and Evolution | |
Did Eve Know Adam? | |
Are We the Third Chimpanzee? | |
What Are the Genetic Differences That Made Us Human? | |
Clicks Genes and Languages | |
Who Let the Dogs in? The Domestication of Animals | |
Toward Understanding the NaturalHistory | |
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actually Africa amino acid animals appear balancing selection become biologists biology brain called cause cell changes chapter chimpanzees chimps chromosome closely common ancestor complex consider Darwin detect determine discuss divergence dogs domesticated Drosophila early effective population elements estimate evidence evolution evolutionary evolve example exists explain fact females frequency function genes genetic drift genetic variants geneticists genome hemoglobin hypothesis important increase individuals Intelligent involved known language larger less lineage lived major males million mitochondrial modern humans molecular mtDNA mutation mutation rate natural selection Neanderthals negative selection neutral nucleotides observed occurred organisms origins patterns plants polymorphism positive selection possible present probably protein reason recent region relatives replacement researchers result scientific sequence similar single sizes species theory University