This article examines the role played by E.-É. Duvillard in the formalization of the idea of mortality in modern mathematical demography. Both his published and unpublished works will be considered with a view to understand his notion of the instantaneous death rate, in terms of notions such as vital force and destructive force.
The sympatric speciation is an important phenomenon in the Evolution where a population able to express two different phenotypes gives rise to a new species without a physical separation from the initial population. Our goal is to show as simple assumptions on the initial population phenotypes and the selection process induced by a fluctuating environment allow to define a simple stochastic model that can explain the sympatric speciation via a stochastic bifurcation mechanism. We analyze the dynamical properties of the model and its possible relevance to describe the evolution of the speciation process as the result of enviromental fluctuations, highlighting the control parameters.
Atherosclerosis and diabetes are largely recognized as inflammatory disorders underlying cardiovascular disease. C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and fibrinogen constitute the most established inflammatory biomarkers in clinical practice for the characterization of individuals affected by atherosclerosis, diabetes and heart failure. In addition to their traditional role as inflammatory markers, emerging evidence suggests their role as active mediators in cardiovascular pathogenesis. The interplay between these circulating inflammatory biomarkers and established cardiovascular risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and elevated NTproBNP needs to be investigated. In this review, we aim to determine whether these biomarkers are merely hallmarks of inflammation or active factors in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases by analyzing their links with HDL/LDL, glycemia, insulin resistance and NT-pro-BNP, respectively. C-reactive protein directly promotes atherosclerosis by increasing LDL transcytosis across endothelial cells and enhancing LOX-1 expression. It provides complementary information to NT-pro-BNP for high risk of major adverse cardiac events in post-MI patients and predicts mortality in type 2 diabetic subjects. Interleukin- 6 activates hepatic LDL receptor transcription and correlates with endothelial dysfunction and carotid intima-media thickness. It is related to higher NT-pro-BNP levels and insulin resistance. Fibrinogen is independently associated with a more atherogenic lipoprotein subfraction profile in diabetic patients and insulin resistance. In these patients the fibrinogen glycation level is higher and forms fibrin clots with enhanced resistance to fibrinolysis. Finally, the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio in heart failure is positively correlated with NT-pro-BNP. In conclusion, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and fibrinogen may emerge as active drivers and promising therapeutic targets in cardiovascular diseases.
This discussion note contrasts Richard Dawkins' genecentric neo-Darwinian theory of evolution with Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy to propose a philosophical critique of mechanistic evolutionary models. Dawkins' The Selfish Gene frames evolution as a struggle of selfish genes, with organisms as mere vehicles. Whitehead's process philosophy, however, reimagines evolution as a creative, relational process driven by creativity and subjective aim, where chaos fosters novelty. Drawing on the chaostability hypothesis, which posits that higher chaos enhances system stability, I argue that Whitehead's framework offers a holistic alternative to Dawkins' reductionism, emphasizing evolution as a dance of becoming. This note invites further exploration of evolution's metaphysical dimensions in the philosophy of biology.
Its fiftieth anniversary seems like a good occasion to compare Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene (1976) with other science classics. As is often the case with influential ideas, its core message is deeply rooted in earlier thought. Moreover, because of the specific, sociobiological context in which it emerged, that message was advanced for the wrong reason - as a misguided argument against group selection - for which there are also important precedents. Furthermore, as is often the case when important insights gain traction through a landmark publication, The Selfish Gene provoked controversy, which in this instance was intensified by its sociobiological origins. Yet in one crucial respect, Dawkins' book differs from other classics. Whereas new theories typically evolve beyond their initial breakthrough, Dawkins' original and controversial selfish gene theory has remained remarkably influential. This historical anomaly can be linked to the "messy patchwork of several loosely connected subfields" that make up evolutionary biology. Seen in this broader historical light, The Selfish Gene stands out, not only as a scientific milestone, but also as an atypical millstone for the message it conveyed.
It has long been understood that new genes evolve from duplication events and subsequent divergence. Since 2006, however, many studies have argued that entire protein-coding genes can emerge "from scratch" by recruiting "random", non-coding and functionless sequences, contrary to what was thought possible. The hypothesis of "de novo" origination is used to explain why some genes do not possess homologs and appear to be lineagespecific "orphans". Some have been implicated in important evolutionary adaptations. Unfortunately, the new field is marred by theoretical problems, false positives, misleading claims and a failure to validate. Many de novo genes are likely to be derived from diverged fragments of older genes that have since been lost in most lineages or revived in one alone. Instead of scouring genomes for evidence of de novo gene birth, improvements in detection tools and methodologies are now urgently required.
Inheritance is a fundamental process that shapes the diversity of life on Earth. While DNA is commonly considered the primary carrier of genetic information, recent advances in molecular biology have shown that other forms of information, such as epigenetic modifications and non-coding RNAs, play important roles in inheritance. Here, we propose a theoretical framework that unifies the diverse sources of inheritance under the common concept of information. we argue that information, in its broadest sense, is the basis of inheritance.
This review explores the critical role of information in biological regulation, extending beyond traditional concepts of homeostasis and homeorhesis. Information, recognized as a fundamental entity alongside matter and energy, governs the dynamic and adaptive processes of living systems. By proposing the concept of «homeoinformation », this paper highlights the continuous processing and integration of information as the foundation for stability and adaptation in life. This perspective offers a more comprehensive framework for understanding the complexity of biological systems and opens new avenues for research into the intricate dynamics of life.
In this paper we present a first analysis on the analogies between the theory of evolution and business management. In both cases, the mathematical tool, in this approach, is the game theory. We have preliminarly proposed historiographical considerations in order to frame the topic. Then we have presented an example-model of business management, with reference to a particular Nash equilibrium (NE). Analogy with ESS.
Using as a narrative theme the example of Darwin's finches, a microscopic agent-based model is introduces to study sympatric speciation as a result of competition for resources in the same ecological niche. Varying competition among individuals and resources distribution, the model exhibits some of the main features of evolutionary branching processes. The model can be extended to include spatial effects, different genetic loci, sexual mating and recombination, etc. and is well-suited for teaching the theory of evolution.
Although most discussions on the origin and evolution of insect wings and metamorphosis have assumed that the ancestors of winged insects were terrestrial, it now seems possible that they were actually aquatic. Changing the basic assumptions affects our interpretations of the origin of metamorphosis and our understanding of insect diversity. It is argued that the ancestors of winged insects were similar to primitive mayflies, developing from aquatic larvae into terrestrial adults, and that metamorphosis originated as an inevitable consequence of an amphibiotic life cycle. It is suggested that the first pupae resembled those of Megaloptera.
In 2007, David S. Wilson and Edward O. Wilson (27) pointed out that, Richard Dawkins had admitted that, contrary to what he had claimed in his book The Selfish Gene (1976) (7), the idea that only the gene is a fundamental unit of selection cannot be used as an argument against the notion of group selection. This elicited a sharp denial from Dawkins (30), which was followed by an explanatory reply by Wilson and Wilson (33) and another vehement denial by Dawkins (34). I analyse the prehistory of this surprisingly complex and convoluted dispute and subsequently disentangle it. My conclusion is that much of it is based on a series of misunderstandings. First, Wilson's and Wilson's (27) original interpretation of Dawkins' selfish gene argument was incorrect. Second, in their explanatory reply (33), they distinguished between two kinds of group selection: the idea that groups can be units of selection (theoretical group selection) and the idea that group selection plays a functional role in evolution ( functional group selection). They clarified that their claim concerned theoretical group selection, not functional group selection. Third, that clarified claim was correct and not correct. It was incorrect because Dawkins has never explicitly acknowledged that he had erred by developing his selfish gene theory as an implicit argument against this kind of group selection. However, the distinction that he made, by 1978, between two kinds of unit of selection, replicators (genes) and vehicles (somas), does imply such an acknowledgment since it holds that groups can be units of selection (vehicles). In this important sense, Wilson's and Wilson's clarified claim (33) was correct. Fourth, Dawkins' second denial (34) concerned functional group selection, not theoretical group selection.
Since the ENCODE project published its final results in a series of articles in 2012, there is no consensus on what its implications are. ENCODE's central and most controversial claim was that there is essentially no junk DNA: most sections of the human genome believed to be «junk» are functional. This claim was met with many reservations. If researchers disagree about whether there is junk DNA, they have first to agree on a concept of function and how function, given a particular definition, can be discovered. The ENCODE debate centered on a notion of function that assumes a strong dichotomy between evolutionary and non-evolutionary function and causes, prevalent in the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis. In contrast to how the debate is typically portrayed, both sides share a commitment to this distinction. This distinction is, however, much debated in alternative approaches to evolutionary theory, such as the EES. We show that because the ENCODE debate is grounded in a particular notion of function, it is unclear how it connects to broader debates about what is the correct evolutionary framework. Furthermore, we show how arguments brought forward in the controversy, particularly arguments from mathematical population genetics, are deeply embedded in their particular disciplinary contexts, and reflect substantive assumptions about the evolution of genomes. With this article, we aim to provide an anatomy of the ENCODE debate that offers a new perspective on the notions of function both sides employed, as well as to situate the ENCODE debate within wider debates regarding the forces operating in evolution.
Based on the Recognition Concept of species, the specific-mate contact model posits that mating systems develop as combinations of two fundamental courtship strategies that we interpret here in terms of behavioural heterochrony: territorial mate-attraction evolved as an effect of peramorphosis whereas group-living mate-seeking evolved as an effect of paedomorphosis. We tested this hypothesis on primates in a phylogenetic and paleo-climatic context. Our results suggest that primate promiscuity (both males and females are mate-seekers) evolved with group-living from ancestral pair-living monogamy (both males and females are mate-attractors) in the Palaeogene, as the result of a slowdown in growth (neoteny) caused by increased environmental predictability. A secondary return to territorial monogamy probably evolved as the result of accelerated growth driven by seasonality (acceleration). Polygamy evolved in the Neogene during periods of forest fragmentation and environmental unpredictability. Small monogamous ancestors evolved seasonal polyandry (female attraction) as an effect of truncated development (progenesis). Large promiscuous, neotenic ancestors evolved non-seasonal polygyny (male attraction) as an effect of prolonged development (hypermorphosis) in males. We conclude that social heterochrony offers alternative explanations for the coevolution of life history and mating be-haviour; and we discuss the implications of our model for human social evolution.
The idea of The Selfish Gene, first published in 1976, grew out of the Modern Synthesis of evolutionary biology formulated by Julian Huxley in 1942, and more specifically from George Williams' Adaptation and Natu - ral Selection in 1966. It presents a severely narrowed down version of Huxley's synthesis, which developed in the 1960s following the formulation of the Cen tral Dogma of molecular biology by Francis Crick. The idea rests on three assumptions: the isolation of the genome from any influences by the soma and its development in interaction with the environment (the Weis - mann Barrier), one-way causation from DNA to proteins (The Central Dogma), and the autoreplication of DNA (Schrödinger's aperiodic crystal). All three of these assumptions have now been shown to be incorrect. The 'replicator' (DNA) is not independent of the 'vehicle', the organism itself, so that The Selfish Gene can no longer be regarded as a valid scientific hypothesis.
An enduring problem concerning the evolution of RNA viruses stems from the fact that their long-term rates of evolution (substitutions/ site/year) are lower than those calculated by comparing sequences of isolates collected over short time periods or within a single host (shortterm or intra-host evolution). This inconsistency has been attributed to several reasons, including deviations from the assumption of a molecularclock (constancy of mutational inputs as a function of time) and variations in viral multiplication rates, among others. We previously proposed a non-phylogenetic method for extracting information contained in mRNAs, that cannot be identified from examination of primary sequences alone, and that we called «archaeological» information. In this new approach, mRNAs are of interest as molecules, not for their primary sequence or encoded proteins but for encrypted information established in a remote past. In the present article, we propose that an archaeological approach may also contribute to explain higher short-term than long-term evolution rates in RNA viruses, in this case, by using the archaeological concept of palimpsest. The palimpsest is a record of historical changes, but it is not a successively ordered or a complete record, rather it is the product of two opposing activities, one of writing and rewriting and the other of erasing. In RNA virus quasispecies, the gain or loss of mutations is reflected in changes in the submolar frequency of myriads of variants in the population. The fact that mutation elimination is not always complete, turns viral quasispecies into complex palimpsests of viral variants or sub-populations thereof. Here we relate two main different temporalities of the quasispecies palimpsest (short- and long-term) to the stability of mutations in response to changes related to three components of the virus: the virions, the infected cell and the host cell lineage. Host cell lineage-related viral memory would be mostly irre versible as they are adaptive products to host cell changes. In contrast, memories related to the environment of the virion or responsive to the environment of the infected cell, which is shortterm mutational input, is less constrained provided the alteration in the ancestral information carried by the RNA is only transient. The two intermixed memory components result in two differently contributing mutation rates whose influence in the final result depends on whether the timescales used to take the sequences for comparison are short or long term.
Multilevel interpretations of development and evolution take to heart the contextual nature of both those processes, and so necessarily assume top-down causation occurs, right down to the physics level. In this article we revisit the Principle of Biological Relativity proposed by Noble in 2012, where all emergent levels of organisation are equally causally valid. While this is true in general for physical interactions between levels, we argue that in the case of conscious organisms making rational choices, there is indeed a preferred causal origin - namely the overall embracing influence of meaning and values. This is the opposite of what is suggested by a reductionist viewpoint, where it is the bottom-most physical level that is stated to be causally preferred (by some physicists), or the genetic level (by some evolutionary theorists). Charles Darwin was therefore correct to distinguish between Artificial (conscious) Selection, where values enter, and Natural Selection. The Modern Synthesis was wrong to exclude Darwin's distinction.
