TY - BOOK ID - 19325361 TI - Robustness and evolvability in living systems PY - 2005 SN - 0691134049 1299991211 0691122407 1400849381 9781400849383 9780691134048 9780691122403 PB - Princeton, N.J. Princeton University Press DB - UniCat KW - Robust control KW - Robust control. KW - Genomic Instability. KW - Mutation (Biology). KW - Robustness (Control systems) KW - Mutation. KW - Evolution, Molecular. KW - Biological systems KW - Mutation (Biology) KW - Molecular evolution. KW - Genetic Evolution KW - Molecular Evolution KW - Evolution, Genetic KW - Directed Molecular Evolution KW - Genome Instability KW - Genome Stability KW - Genomic Stability KW - Genome Instabilities KW - Genome Stabilities KW - Genomic Instabilities KW - Genomic Stabilities KW - Instabilities, Genome KW - Instabilities, Genomic KW - Instability, Genome KW - Instability, Genomic KW - Stabilities, Genome KW - Stabilities, Genomic KW - Stability, Genome KW - Stability, Genomic KW - Chromothripsis KW - DNA Sequence, Unstable KW - Mutations KW - DNA Damage KW - Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length KW - Automatic control KW - Biosystems KW - Systems, Biological KW - Biology KW - System theory KW - Systems biology KW - Genetics KW - Variation (Biology) KW - Biochemical evolution KW - Chemical evolution KW - Evolution KW - Life KW - Molecular biology KW - Stability. KW - Philosophy KW - Origin KW - Molecular evolution KW - Stability KW - General biophysics KW - Biological systems - Stability KW - Acqui 2006 UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:19325361 AB - All living things are remarkably complex, yet their DNA is unstable, undergoing countless random mutations over generations. Despite this instability, most animals do not grow two heads or die, plants continue to thrive, and bacteria continue to divide. Robustness and Evolvability in Living Systems tackles this perplexing paradox. The book explores why genetic changes do not cause organisms to fail catastrophically and how evolution shapes organisms' robustness. Andreas Wagner looks at this problem from the ground up, starting with the alphabet of DNA, the genetic code, RNA, and protein molecules, moving on to genetic networks and embryonic development, and working his way up to whole organisms. He then develops an evolutionary explanation for robustness. Wagner shows how evolution by natural selection preferentially finds and favors robust solutions to the problems organisms face in surviving and reproducing. Such robustness, he argues, also enhances the potential for future evolutionary innovation. Wagner also argues that robustness has less to do with organisms having plenty of spare parts (the redundancy theory that has been popular) and more to do with the reality that mutations can change organisms in ways that do not substantively affect their fitness. Unparalleled in its field, this book offers the most detailed analysis available of all facets of robustness within organisms. It will appeal not only to biologists but also to engineers interested in the design of robust systems and to social scientists concerned with robustness in human communities and populations. ER -