Key transitions in animal evolution

Key transitions in animal evolution.

In order to address this subject further and to assess progress in the examination of animal origins and transitions, an international group of scientists was convened at the Society for Comparative Biology meeting in January 2007.

Key transitions during the evolution of animal phototransduction: novelty, "tree-thinking," co-option, and co-duplication.

Biologists are amazed by the intricacy and complexity of biological interactions between molecules, cells, organisms, and ecosystems. Yet underlying all this biodiversity is a universal common ancestry. How does evolution proceed from common starting points to generate the riotous biodiversity we see today? This "novelty problem"-understanding how novelty and common ancestry relate-has become o...

'Biogeneric' developmental processes: drivers of major transitions in animal evolution.

Using three examples drawn from animal systems, I advance the hypothesis that major transitions in multicellular evolution often involved the constitution of new cell-based materials with unprecedented morphogenetic capabilities. I term the materials and formative processes that arise when highly evolved cells are incorporated into mesoscale matter 'biogeneric', to reflect their commonality wit...

Biopharmaceutical Innovation System in China: System Evolution and Policy Transitions (Pre-1990s-2010s)

Background: This article sets up the initial discussion of the evolution of biopharmaceutical innovation in China through the perspective of sectoral innovation system (SIS).Methods: Two data sources including archival documentary data and field interviews were used in this study. Archival documentary data was collected from China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) and Chinese National Knowled...

The Major Transitions in Evolution