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What are the implications of evolvable molecules?

James A. Shapiro: Evolution: a view from the 21st century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Science Press, 2011. xviii+253 pp. ISBN: 978-0-13-278093-3, $34.99 PB

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Abstract

James Shapiro’s view of evolution is inspired by looking at the molecular mechanisms of mutation. Finding these systems to be intelligent and the mutations non-gradual, Shapiro concludes that neither the role of DNA in development, nor and the role of natural selection in evolution are what we thought them to be. The cases discussed are interesting and may require some modification of theory in biology, but this reviewer finds many of Shapiro’s conclusions unwarranted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Roger Sansom

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  1. Roger Sansom
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Correspondence to Roger Sansom.

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Sansom, R. What are the implications of evolvable molecules?. Biol Philos 29, 425–432 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-014-9440-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-014-9440-4

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