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Elsevier

Books in Molecular evolution

  • The Future of Human Evolution

    • 1st Edition
    • Rene J. Herrera + 1 more
    • English
    The Future of Human Evolution provides a discussion of how cultural, biological and microevolutionary (drift, selection, and mutation) pressures might affect our future as a species. The book is split into twelve chapters, beginning with evolutionary forecasting, and gene and culture coevolution. It then discusses life expectancy and population growth, followed by chapters on mutation rates, climate change and diet. This book also explores artificial selection and ‘designer babies’, trans-humanism and artificial intelligence (machine-human symbiosis), inequality and the colonization of space. The Future of Human Evolution serves as a valuable resource for both researchers and students studying human evolution and human population genetics, as well as non-academics with an interest in human evolution.

  • Genes and Evolution

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 119
    • English
    Genes and Evolution, the latest volume in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, covers genes and evolution, with contributions from an international board of authors. The chapters provide a comprehensive set of reviews covering such topics as genes and plant domestication, gene networks, phenotypic loss in vertebrates, reproducible evolutionary changes, and epithelial tissue.

  • Sketches of Nature

    A Geneticist's Look at the Biological World During a Golden Era of Molecular Ecology
    • 1st Edition
    • John C. Avise
    • English
    This visually appealing book recounts the history of molecular ecology and evolution as seen through the personal lens of one of its most prolific practitioners, who has studied a panorama of creatures ranging from corals, sponges, and other invertebrates to a wide variety of vertebrate animals including numerous birds, mammals, herps, and fishes. The sketches are of two types: evocative drawings of the animals themselves, and more than 230 written abstracts summarizing the author’s eclectic research on ecological-genetic topics spanning the microevolutionary to macroevolutionary. With the abstracts arranged by organismal group and placed in chronological order, the chapters in this book lead readers on a fascinating historical journey into the realm of molecular genetics as applied across the past four decades to intriguing questions in ecology, evolution, animal behavior, and natural history.

  • Bioinformatics for Beginners

    Genes, Genomes, Molecular Evolution, Databases and Analytical Tools
    • 1st Edition
    • Supratim Choudhuri
    • English
    Bioinformatics for Beginners: Genes, Genomes, Molecular Evolution, Databases and Analytical Tools provides a coherent and friendly treatment of bioinformatics for any student or scientist within biology who has not routinely performed bioinformatic analysis. The book discusses the relevant principles needed to understand the theoretical underpinnings of bioinformatic analysis and demonstrates, with examples, targeted analysis using freely available web-based software and publicly available databases. Eschewing non-essential information, the work focuses on principles and hands-on analysis, also pointing to further study options.

  • Evolution

    Components and Mechanisms
    • 1st Edition
    • David Zeigler
    • English
    Evolution: Components and Mechanisms introduces the many recent discoveries and insights that have added to the discipline of organic evolution, and combines them with the key topics needed to gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of evolution. Each chapter covers an important topic or factor pertinent to a modern understanding of evolutionary theory, allowing easy access to particular topics for either study or review. Many chapters are cross-referenced. Modern evolutionary theory has expanded significantly within only the past two to three decades. In recent times the definition of a gene has evolved, the definition of organic evolution itself is in need of some modification, the number of known mechanisms of evolutionary change has increased dramatically, and the emphasis placed on opportunity and contingency has increased. This book synthesizes these changes and presents many of the novel topics in evolutionary theory in an accessible and thorough format. This book is an ideal, up-to-date resource for biologists, geneticists, evolutionary biologists, developmental biologists, and researchers in, as well as students and academics in these areas and professional scientists in many subfields of biology.

  • Evolution by Tumor Neofunctionalization

    The Role of Tumors in the Origin of New Cell Types, Tissues and Organs
    • 1st Edition
    • Andrei P. Kozlov
    • English
    Evolution by Tumor Neofunctionalization explores the possibility of the positive role of tumors in evolution of multicellular organisms. This unique perspective goes beyond recent publications on how evolution may influence tumors, to consider the possible role of tumors in evolution. Widespread in nature tumors represent a much broader category than malignant tumors only. The majority of tumors in humans and other animals may never undergo malignant transformation. Tumors may differentiate with the loss of malignancy, and malignant tumors may spontaneously regress. Cellular oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes play roles in normal development. Many features of tumors could be used in evolution, and there are examples of tumors that have played a role in evolution. This book will stimulate thinking on this topic by specialists in the fields of evolutionary biology, oncology, molecular biology, molecular evolution, embryology, evo-devo, tumor immunology, pathology and clinical oncology.

  • The Origin and Domestication of Cultivated Plants

    • 1st Edition
    • C. Barigozzi
    • English
    This book consists of the proceedings of a symposium organized by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome. The proceedings are unusual in that it is a rare event to see archaeologists and geneticists coming together to discuss the connection between historical facts and biological phenomena. The aim of the symposium was to discuss the origin of some important cultivated plants (wheat, maize, barley, oat, legumes and fruit trees) not only in relation to genetical mechanisms but also as a complex of historical facts recognizable through archaeological research.This international Meeting based on interdisciplinary concepts, met with a prompt and positive reaction from all those specialists invited to attend. The book itself is an unparalleled contribution to the interdisciplinary knowledge on the origin of crop plants and agriculture.

  • Evolution and Extinction Rate Controls

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • A.J. Boucot
    • English

  • Bones, Stones and Molecules

    "Out of Africa" and Human Origins
    • 1st Edition
    • David W. Cameron + 1 more
    • English
    Bones, Stones and Molecules provides some of the best evidence for resolving the debate between the two hypotheses of human origins. The debate between the 'Out of Africa' model and the 'Multiregional' hypothesis is examined through the functional and developmental processes associated with the evolution of the human skull and face and focuses on the significance of the Australian record. The book analyzes important new discoveries that have occurred recently and examines evidence that is not available elsewhere. Cameron and Groves argue that the existing evidence supports a recent origin for modern humans from Africa. They also specifically relate these two theories to interpretations of the origins of the first Australians. The book provides an up-to-date interpretation of the fossil, archaeological and the molecular evidence, specifically as it relates to Asia, and Australia in particular.

  • Advances in Applied Microbiology

    Archaea: Ancient Microbes, Extreme Environments, and the Origin of Life
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 50
    • English
    Although they comprise one of the three fundamental branches of life, it was only the last decade that Archaea were formally recognized as a group alongside Eukaryotes and Bacteria. Bacteria-like in that they are single celled organisms that lack a nucleus and intracellular organelles, the Arachaea also share a large gene set typical of eukaryotes, for making and repairing DNA, RNA and protien. More surprisingly, they only inhabit environments typical of the extremes of early earth--hot springs, thermal ocean vents, saline lake, or oxygen deficient sediments. A breakpoint on the common evolutionary path, it is evident that the Archaea diverged early in the history of life, establishing thier importance in evolutionary sciences. Archaea: Ancient Microbes, Extreme Environments, and the Origin of Life tells this evolving story, furthering our understanding of the microbe commonalities, and providing for evolutionary justification in the use of archaea as mechanistic model systems.

  • Evolutionary Biology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 1
    • Edward Bittar
    • English
    Volume 1 of the series Fundamentals of Medical Cell Biology is devoted to evolutionary biology. This is presented in two parts: in the first, the structure and dynamics of RNA, DNA, and protein are dealt with. The second part is concerned with the origins and cellular basis of life.