The inclusive synthesis of evolution

0,00 €

TopicGarden & Nature

AuthorÉtienne Danchin

PublisherActes Sud

Heredity beyond the selfish gene

Self-replication is the hallmark of all living things. Reproduction implies the passage of information between generations to ensure the reconstruction of individuals. However, many areas of biology show that this information is not limited to genetic information, i.e. the information encoded in a DNA sequence. We are thus witnessing the emergence of the inclusive Modern Synthesis, which is taking over from the Modern Synthesis established in the mid-twentieth century following the convergence of genetics and the study of Darwinian selection.
There are many forms of transgenerational transmission of information. In particular, when it is extracted from other individuals, this can trigger what is known as ‘cultural’ transmission, the result of purely social processes. Thanks to a number of corrective processes, such as conformism, variation between individuals is passed on reliably between generations.
Étienne Danchin gives us a lively (yet detailed) overview of the development of the theory of evolution from the nineteenth century (Lamarck, Darwin) to the latest advances in this field, in a language that is colourful, lively and accessible. The detailed examples of non-genetic transmission are astonishing, undermining the omnipotence of genes and opening up exciting prospects in the fields of health and nature conservation.