Biology's next revolution : Article : Nature
An essay that challenges perceptions of evolution as vertical descent, and biological terms such as organism and species.
Nature 445, 369 (25 January 2007) | doi:10.1038/445369a; Published online 24 January 2007
Connections: Biology's next revolution
Nigel Goldenfeld 1 and Carl Woese 2
1. Nigel Goldenfeld is in the Department of Physics and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
2. Carl Woese is in the Department of Microbiology and Institute for Genomic Biology, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
snippets:
The emerging picture of microbes as gene-swapping collectives demands a revision of such concepts as organism, species and evolution itself.
Recent work suggests that viruses are an important repository and memory of a community's genetic information, contributing to the system's evolutionary dynamics and stability.
A computer scientist might term the cell's translational apparatus (used to convert genetic information to proteins) an 'operating system', by which all innovation is communicated and realized. The fundamental role of translation, represented in particular by the genetic code, is shown by the clearly documented optimization of the code.
Refinement through the horizontal sharing of genetic innovations would have triggered an explosion of genetic novelty, until the level of complexity required a transition to the current era of vertical evolution.
Nature 445, 369 (25 January 2007) | doi:10.1038/445369a; Published online 24 January 2007
Connections: Biology's next revolution
Nigel Goldenfeld 1 and Carl Woese 2
1. Nigel Goldenfeld is in the Department of Physics and Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
2. Carl Woese is in the Department of Microbiology and Institute for Genomic Biology, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
snippets:
The emerging picture of microbes as gene-swapping collectives demands a revision of such concepts as organism, species and evolution itself.
Recent work suggests that viruses are an important repository and memory of a community's genetic information, contributing to the system's evolutionary dynamics and stability.
A computer scientist might term the cell's translational apparatus (used to convert genetic information to proteins) an 'operating system', by which all innovation is communicated and realized. The fundamental role of translation, represented in particular by the genetic code, is shown by the clearly documented optimization of the code.
Refinement through the horizontal sharing of genetic innovations would have triggered an explosion of genetic novelty, until the level of complexity required a transition to the current era of vertical evolution.
posted by Sujai at 15:50
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