The Wisdom of the Genes: New Pathways in Evolution

351 pages. cover worn, foxingIn this assessment of Darwinism, Christopher Wills explains how, during the c ourse of their long histories, genes have acquired a wisdom that enables them to change more easily in some directions than in others. He opens up the recentl y discovered molecular toolboxes of evolution to reveal the workings of jumpin g genes, supergenes, and building-block genes - structures that have enormous im plications for medicine and our understanding of how cells and organisms work, a s well as revealing in great detail how the genes themselves have evolved. Conve ying the excitement of scientists who are about to harness the processes of evol ution to explore - and perhaps change - our genetic makeup, The Wisdom of the G enes traces the course of billions of years of life in order to show how the ac cumulated wisdom of this genetic machinery has shaped everything from mimicry in butterflies to our own remarkable immune systems.