Mutation, Randomness, and Evolution

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Dr Arlin Stoltzfus (Research Biologist, Research Biologist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA)

Mutation, Randomness, and Evolution

Dr Arlin Stoltzfus (Research Biologist, Research Biologist, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA)

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English

Oxford University Press
17 August 2023

Philosophy of science; Evolution; DNA & Genome; Molecular biology

What does it mean to say that mutation is random? How does mutation influence evolution? Are mutations merely the raw material for selection to shape adaptations? The author draws on a detailed knowledge of mutational mechanisms to argue that the randomness doctrine is best understood, not as a fact-based conclusion, but as the premise of a neo-Darwinian research program focused on selection.

The successes of this research program created a blind spot - in mathematical models and verbal theories of causation - that has stymied efforts to re-think the role of variation. However, recent theoretical and empirical work shows that mutational biases can and do influence the course of evolution, including adaptive evolution, through a first come, first served mechanism.

This thought-provoking book cuts through the conceptual tangle at the intersection of mutation, randomness, and evolution, offering a fresh, far-reaching, and testable view of the role of variation as a dispositional evolutionary factor.

The arguments will be accessible to philosophers and historians with a serious interest in evolution, as well as to researchers and advanced students of evolution focused on molecules, microbes, evo-devo, and population genetics.

By: Dr Arlin Stoltzfus (Research Biologist Research Biologist National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg Maryland USA)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 242mm, Width: 191mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 624g
ISBN: 9780192872579
ISBN 10: 0192872575
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 17 August 2023
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Arlin Stoltzfus is a Fellow of the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, and a Research Biologist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA . He is an evolutionary biologist who uses computer-based approaches to study evolution at the molecular level. His primary interest has been to develop and evaluate theories about evolutionary factors other than natural selection. He and his coworkers proposed the theory of Constructive Neutral Evolution, and showed theoretically that biases in the introduction of variation may impose biases on evolution without requiring neutrality.