Product Description

Ideas about heredity and evolution are undergoing a revolutionary change. New findings in molecular biology challenge the gene-centered version of Darwinian theory according to which adaptation occurs only through natural selection of chance DNA variations. In "Evolution in Four Dimensions", Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb argue that there is more to heredity than genes. They trace four "dimensions" in evolution - four inheritance systems that play a role in evolution: genetic, epigenetic (non-DNA cellular transmission of traits), behavioral, and symbolic (transmission through language and other forms of symbolic communication). These systems, they argue, can all provide variations on which natural selection can act. Evolution in Four Dimensions offers a richer, more complex view of evolution than the gene-based, one-dimensional view held by many today. The new synthesis advanced by Jablonka and Lamb makes clear that induced and acquired changes also play a role in evolution. After discussing each of the four inheritance systems in detail, Jablonka and Lamb "put Humpty Dumpty together again" by showing how all of these systems interact. The lucid and accessible text is accompanied by artist-physician Anna Zeligowski's lively drawings, which humorously and effectively illustrate the authors' points.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34601 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 474 pages

Review
"There have been rumblings for some time to the effect that the neo-Darwinian synthesis of the early twentieth century is incomplete and due for a major revision.... Evolution in Four Dimensions is the most recent addition to this genre, and contributes yet another valuable perspective to the discussion." - Massimo Pigliucci, Nature"

About the Author
Eva Jablonka is Professor at the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel Aviv University. Marion J. Lamb was Senior Lecturer in Biology at Birkbeck College, University of London, before her retirement. Jablonka and Lamb have collaborated on a number of journal articles and books, including Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution (1995).

Customer Reviews

creative thinking at it's best.
Whether you need a brush up on the basics of inheritance or you want to see the direction the study of life is going this is the book for you. Two chapters of it was required reading for an animal behviour course I took. I love it so much that I went out and got two copies. Genetics is not the only means of inheritance. There are very interesting ideas within. The science is impeccable even if not mainstream. To move forward in any endeavor we must challenge dogma. Evolution in 4D does challenges us to think of more deeply about biology while teaching the basics as undogmatically as possible .