A gene’s-eye view: Useful tool or narrow lens? (Ep 73)

<p>Are genes the primary units of selection and main drivers of adaptation? How does a gene’s-eye view of evolution fit into modern biology?</p> <p>On this episode, we talk with<a href="https://arvidagren.com/"> <u>Arvid Ågren</u></a>, an evolutionary biologist and Wenner-Gren Fellow at Uppsala University, about<a href="https://bigbiologypodcast.tumblr.com/post/668646098328518656/the-genes-eye-view-of-evolution-by-j-arvid-%C3%A5gren"> <u>his new book</u></a>, “The Gene’s-Eye View of Evolution”. The book chronicles the history of gene-centric views of evolution, which burst onto the scene in 1976 with the publication of <a href="https://bigbiologypodcast.tumblr.com/post/668646022514393088/the-selfish-gene-by-richard-dawkins-episode-73"><u>Richard Dawkins’s book</u></a>, "The Selfish Gene". In the gene-centric worldview, genes and alleles take center stage as both key units of selection and drivers of the evolutionary process. Organisms and their phenotypes, by contrast, are viewed as transient <em>vehicles</em> – disposable somas constructed and controlled by genes whose purpose is simply to help those genes replicate.</p> <p>Previous guests on Big Biology, including Denis Walsh, Denis Noble, Mike Levin and others, have argued strongly for an opposing point of view: that organisms, not genes, should be the focal level for understanding evolution. On this episode, we challenge Arvid to reconcile the gene’s-eye view with our more organism-centered views, and to account for important biological phenomena like the origin of life and adaptation. Our conflicting perspectives led to a stimulating conversation about the nature of evolution, whether the abstractions inherent to the gene’s-eye view are justifiable, and how alternative conceptions of adaptation might lead to unification in biology.</p> <p>Cover art: Keating Shahmehri</p> --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bigbiology/message