The case against simplistic genetic explanations of evolution
Kimberly L. Cooper
* Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
*Author for correspondence (kcooper@ucsd.edu)
Competing interests: The author declares no competing or financial interests.
Online ISSN: 1477-9129
Print ISSN: 0950-1991
Funding
Funding Group: Award Group:
Funder(s): National Institutes of Health
© 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd
Development (2024) 151 (20): dev203077.
https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.203077
ABSTRACT
Humans are curious to understand the causes of traits that distinguish us from other animals and that distinguish vastly different species from one another. We also have a proclivity for simple stories and sometimes tend toward seeking and accepting simple genetic explanations for large evolutionary shifts, even to a single gene. Here, I reveal how a biased expectation of mechanistic simplicity threads through the long history of evolutionary and developmental genetics. I argue, however, that expecting a simple mechanism threatens a deeper understanding of evolution, and I define the limitations for interpreting experimental evidence in evolutionary developmental genetics.
Keywords: Evo-devo, Evolution, History of Science, Macroevolution, Trait loss
