Gene Duplication-Driven Evolution

 

gene duplication
Charles Darwin‘s first reference to a “gene” appears in the 4th edition of The Origin of Species in 1866.  Since then, the gene has emerged as the essential molecular mechanism driving Darwin’s theory. This intersection of natural selection with Gregor Mendel‘s theory of genetic inheritance was later named Modern Evolutionary Synthesis or The Modern Synthesis, largely based on Julian Huxley‘s 1942 book entitled Evolution. The Modern Synthesis.

A gene mutation-driven evolution theory gained increasing popularity. By the 1960s, using emerging gene testing technologies, however, the model began encountering challenges. In the search for a new theory, Susumu Ohno, a geneticist at the City of Hope Medical Center, proposed the gene duplication-driven evolution theory in his book Evolution by Gene Duplication (1970). Since then, researchers have investigated Ohno’s model searching to answer the elusive “what drives evolution” question.

Continue Reading

Ancient DNA Stability

Jurassic ParkPristine preservation of DNA is of critical importance in the study of ancient DNA. The structural integrity of the DNA molecule, contrary to the Jurassic Park tale, is not infinitely stable.

Damage to the DNA molecule in living organisms occurs naturally from normal metabolic and hydrolytic processes and from environmental factors such as ultraviolet light and radiation.

Damage to DNA in mammalian cells is known to occur 1 million times daily.  While alive organisms can identify and correct these damages, the evolution industry has been reticent to address the stability of ancient DNA in the fossil record.

 

Continue Reading

Pin It on Pinterest