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The Origins of Evolutionary Innovations: A Theory of Transformative Change in Living Systems
The history of life is a nearly four billion year old story of transformative change. This change ranges from dramatic macroscopic innovations such as the evolution of wings or eyes, to a myriad of molecular changes that form the basis of macroscopic innovations. We are familiar with many examples of innovations (qualitatively new phenotypes that can provide a critical benefit) but have no systematic understanding of the principles that allow organisms to innovate. This book proposes several such principles as the basis of a theory of innovation, integrating recent knowledge about complex molecular phenotypes with more traditional Darwinian thinking. Central to the book are genotype vast sets of connected genotypes that exist in metabolism and regulatory circuitry, as well as in protein and RNA molecules. The theory can successfully unify innovations that occur at different levels of organization. It captures known features of biological innovation, including the fact
that many innovations occur multiple times independently, and that they combine existing parts of a system to new purposes. It also argues that environmental change is important to create biological systems that are both complex and robust, and shows how such robustness can facilitate innovation. Beyond that, the theory can reconcile neutralism and selectionism, as well as explain the role of phenotypic plasticity, gene duplication, recombination, and cryptic variation in innovation. Finally, its principles can be applied to technological innovation, and thus open to human engineering endeavours the powerful principles that have allowed life's spectacular success.
that many innovations occur multiple times independently, and that they combine existing parts of a system to new purposes. It also argues that environmental change is important to create biological systems that are both complex and robust, and shows how such robustness can facilitate innovation. Beyond that, the theory can reconcile neutralism and selectionism, as well as explain the role of phenotypic plasticity, gene duplication, recombination, and cryptic variation in innovation. Finally, its principles can be applied to technological innovation, and thus open to human engineering endeavours the powerful principles that have allowed life's spectacular success.
264 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2011
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About the author
Andreas Wagner
117 books69 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR
Andreas Wagner is Professor in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Zurich and an award-winning science writer. He received his PhD from Yale and has held research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The author of more than 150 scientific papers published in leading journals including Nature and Science, this is his first book popularizing his new evolutionary systems research. He lives in Zurich.
Andreas Wagner is Professor in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Zurich and an award-winning science writer. He received his PhD from Yale and has held research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The author of more than 150 scientific papers published in leading journals including Nature and Science, this is his first book popularizing his new evolutionary systems research. He lives in Zurich.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 9, 2021
Not rigorous - which is both an advantage (inspiring!) and disadvantage (inconclusive!). At the end of the day, too shallow to me. Also, lack of Markov chains and few other tools was shocking.
April 14, 2014
Natural selection presents only half the story of evolution: the fittest survive. The other half has long been presented as "random permutations over millennia eventually hit upon innovations". But this book provides a much more thorough understanding of how and why the fittest arrive. Wagner explains what it is about biological systems that causes evolution to occur, and draws some conclusions about non-living systems as well. A really excellent book that makes a highly technical subject accessible to everyone. Wagner backs up his theory of innovability with a great deal of data and research.
November 5, 2015
Modern graphics and newly emerging concepts like networks
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
