Principles of evolution : from the Planck Epoch to complex multicellular life
With contributions from a team of leading experts, this volume provides a comprehensive survey of recent achievements in our scientific understanding of evolution. The questions it asks concern the beginnings of the universe, the origin of life and the chances of its arising at all, the role of contingency, and the search for universal features in the plethora of evolutionary phenomena. Rather than oversimplified or premature answers, the chapters provide a clear picture of how these essential problems are being tackled, enabling the reader to understand current thinking and open questions. The tools employed stem from a range of disciplines including mathematics, physics, biochemistry and cell biology. Self-organization as an overarching concept is demonstrated in the most diverse areas: from galaxy formation in the universe to spindle and aster formation in the cell. Chemical master equations, population dynamics, and evolutionary game theory are presented as suitable frameworks for understanding the universal mechanisms and organizational principles observed in a wide range of living units, ranging from cells to societies. This book will provide engaging reading and food for thought for all those seeking a deeper understanding of the science of evolution
History
1 online resource (xii, 385 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color))
9783642181375, 3642181376
728100176
Physical principles of evolution / Peter Schuster
The interplay of replication, variation and selection in the dynamics of evolving populations / Richard A. Blythe
A simple general model of evolutionary dynamics / Stefan Thurner
Can we recognize an innovation? : perspective from an evolving network model / Sanjay Jain and Sandeep Krishna
How stochastic dynamics far from equilibrium can create nonrandom patterns / Gunter M. Schütz
Structure formation in the universe / Matthias Bartelmann
The need for quantum cosmology / Claus Kiefer
Self-organization in cells / Leif Dehmelt and Philippe Bastiaens
Approach of complex-systems biology to reproduction and evolution / Kunihiko Kaneko
Wet artificial life : the construction of artificial living systems / Harold Fellermann
Towards a minimal system for cell division / Petra Schwille
Bacterial games / Erwin Frey and Tobias Reichenbach
Darwin and the evolution of human cooperation / Karl Sigmund and Christian Hilbe
Similarities between biological and social networks in their structural organization / Byungnam Kahng, Deokjae Lee, and Pureun Kim
From swarms to societies : origins of social organization / Alexander S. Mikhailov
English