Move to the EES

Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are stretches of DNA that are virtually identical across a wide range of species, often remaining unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. Their extreme conservation suggests they play crucial roles in biological function, yet their precise functions remain largely mysterious. The existence and properties of UCEs challenge several tenets of neo-Darwinism and contribute to the call for an extended evolutionary synthesis (EES) in the following ways: Challenge to the concept of junk DNA: Neo-Darwinism traditionally viewed much of the genome as "junk DNA" with no significant function. The high level of conservation of UCEs suggests that these regions are functionally important, even if their specific roles are not yet fully understood. Questioning the neutrality of mutations: Neo-Darwinism emphasizes the role of random mutations and natural selection in driving evolution. The extreme conservation of UCEs suggests that mutations in ...

"When thinking about genetics, we often think of lineages and the passing down of genes through generations. We think about vertical transmission. However, bacteria also acquire genetic material through horizontal transmission. As Smillie et al. noted in a 2011 study in Nature: “The human body is a complex biological network comprising ten microbes for each human cell and 100 microbial genes for each unique human gene”. Understanding bacterial networks of gene exchange is thus essential for an understanding of ourselves.'- Swapping genes within and beyond our bodies.”  The human microbiome, a complex ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms residing within and on our bodies, plays a crucial role in human health. Recent research has unveiled its potential to mitigate the negative impacts of our genetic load, the burden of potentially harmful mutations we carry in our DNA. This intricate interplay between our genes and our microbiome offers exc...

Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are stretches of DNA that are nearly identical across a wide range of species, exhibiting extraordinary conservation across vast evolutionary distances. These sequences, often hundreds of base pairs long, remain unchanged for millions of years, defying the expected accumulation of mutations over time. The existence of UCEs poses a significant challenge to traditional neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory, prompting the need for alternative explanations. The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES), a framework that builds upon and expands neo-Darwinism, offers a more comprehensive understanding of these enigmatic genomic features. Neo-Darwinism's Limitations in Explaining UCEs Neo-Darwinism, the prevailing evolutionary paradigm for much of the 20th century, emphasizes the gradual accumulation of random mutations and natural selection as the primary drivers of evolutionary change. While this framework has been remarkably successful in explaining m...

The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) is a developing field that challenges the traditional neo-Darwinian understanding of evolution. It incorporates new insights from various disciplines, including evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo"), to provide a more comprehensive view of how evolutionary change occurs. Evo-devo focuses on the interplay between development and evolution, examining how changes in developmental processes can lead to the emergence of new traits and drive evolutionary diversification. This article will explore the significant contributions of evo-devo to the EES, highlighting how it has reshaped our understanding of evolutionary processes. Challenging the Gene-Centric View Traditional neo-Darwinism places a strong emphasis on genes as the sole carriers of heritable information. Evo-devo challenges this gene-centric view by emphasizing the role of developmental processes in shaping phenotypic variation. It argues that evolution is n...

The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) represents a growing body of work that challenges the limitations of the traditional neo-Darwinian framework. It seeks to incorporate a wider range of biological phenomena and theoretical perspectives into evolutionary theory, leading to a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of life's diversity and complexity. This essay explores the key themes of the EES, focusing on formalizations and expansions that enrich our understanding of evolution. Beyond the Gene-Centric View One of the central tenets of the EES is a move away from the gene-centric view of evolution. While genes undoubtedly play a crucial role in heredity, the EES emphasizes the importance of other factors, including: Developmental plasticity: Organisms are not simply passive recipients of genetic information; they actively respond to their environment, leading to phenotypic variations that can influence evolutionary trajectories. Niche construction: Organi...