The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death - Softcover

Durand, Pierre M.; Koonin, Eugene V.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 022674776X ISBN 13: 9780226747767

Verlag: University of Chicago Press, 2020

Inhaltsangabe

The question of why an individual would actively kill itself has long been an evolutionary mystery. Pierre M. Durand’s ambitious book answers this question through close inspection of life and death in the earliest cellular life. As Durand shows us, cell death is a fascinating lens through which to examine the interconnectedness, in evolutionary terms, of life and death. It is a truism to note that one does not exist without the other, but just how does this play out in evolutionary history?

These two processes have been studied from philosophical, theoretical, experimental, and genomic angles, but no one has yet integrated the information from these various disciplines. In this work, Durand synthesizes cellular studies of life and death looking at the origin of life and the evolutionary significance of programmed cellular death. The exciting and unexpected outcome of Durand’s analysis is the realization that life and death exhibit features of coevolution. The evolution of more complex cellular life depended on the coadaptation between traits that promote life and those that promote death. In an ironic twist, it becomes clear that, in many circumstances, programmed cell death is essential for sustaining life.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Pierre M. Durand'sfirst real exposure to biology was as an undergraduate student. Taking a shortcut to a physics lecture via the Zoology Department led to a serendipitous encounter with an exhibit on adaptive radiation in cichlids. A fascination with evolutionary biology began. He is an alumnus of King’s College, London, and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, where he is currently reader in evolutionary biology. This is his first book.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: University of Chicago Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2020
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 022674776X
• ISBN 13: 9780226747767
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 235
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar