Rethinking Evolution: The "Big Picture"

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Summary of Key Aspects of "Rethinking Evolution: The Revolution That's Hiding in Plain Sight"

(Minor revisions were made on 17 January, 2020)

1. Classical Darwinian theory focused on incremental variations as the raw material on which selection acts, and focused on the Origin of Species. The UES clearly demonstrates that there is more to natural selection than accumulation of incremental variations alone, and focuses on the Origin of Complexity.
2. Newly discovered mechanisms that change DNA sequences demonstrate that there are several kinds of variation that, for a variety of reasons, have non-random characteristics. Just one example is the widespread and critically important mechanism of gene duplication. All non-random elements arise by natural processes that are thoroughly characterized by empirical research. All are consistent with well-established principles of physics, chemistry, and biology. None involve so-called “Intelligent Design” or other such supernatural causes. 
3. Throughout the deep history of life on Earth, evolutionary innovations change the potential, and create new opportunities, for new innovations to arise. In general, previous events lay the groundwork for future events, and provide numerous opportunities for higher levels of complexity to arise, whether in the molecular realm, in cellular interactions during development, or in ecological interactions of various types that take place between distinct interacting species.
4. At various levels of complexity, previously separate entities frequently come together and interact in various ways. When, by trial-and-error, some interactions prove useful in the struggle for existence, they tend to be preserved by selection.
5. Together, items 3 and 4 summarize the principle of Emergent Evolutionary Potential (EEP). This mechanism is distinct from the classical concept of accumulation of incremental variation. 
6. Classical incremental variation and EEP are complementary aspects of natural selection, and together, they have formidable organizing power. The UES provides a more plausible explanation for the origins of species and origins of complexity than classical Darwinian theory or the “Modern Synthesis”. 
7. The genome of each species—the complete set of DNA sequences that are stored, shuffled, and transmitted to each generation—represents stored evolutionary potential. In addition to expressed genetic determinants, the genome contains numerous reusable modules, or “toolkits” that can be modified and deployed in the future in various ways. These modules, and the ways that they can be modified during evolution, and expressed in various ways during development, represent the Generative Phenotype. The sets of genetic determinants that are manifested, in real time, in the life of each individual—and include the specific adaptations that are useful in the struggle for existence—represent the Ecological Phenotype.
8. The physical and chemical characteristics of macromolecules—large chains of subunits such as DNA, RNA, and proteins—generate intricate 3-dimensional shapes and structures. In every species, molecular collisions in this molecular realm create numerous opportunities for new interactions, at various levels of complexity. These interactions are referred to as SSM-IBE (see item 12).
9. The Updated Evolutionary Synthesis (UES) represents a broad and unique synthesis of classical Darwinian theory with the “Modern Synthesis” of the 1940s plus numerous 20th and 21st century empirical advances in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. The new synthesis strengthens evolutionary theory, while retaining core principles that have stood the test of time.
10. The UES includes a critical review of old and new theories and observations concerning the Origin of Life, concluding that recent discoveries of Undersea Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents are more compelling than the “primordial soup” hypothesis that became popular in the 1950s. Also, energy capture and dissipation are recognized as essential aspects of evolution that are complementary to natural selection, and that played a role in chemical evolution before RNA, DNA, or proteins evolved.
11. In addition to a comprehensive review of both classical and contemporary evolutionary science, there is also much that is new in the UES. In addition to introducing the UES per se, the author also introduces several new conceptual elements that are part of it. 
12. These new elements include (a) Emergent Evolutionary Potential (EEP); (b) division of phenotype (structure, function, shape and capabilities of the organism) into two types: Generative Phenotype and Ecological Phenotype, and (c) describing Shape-Specific Molecular Interactions and Binding Events (SSM-IBE) as a principal way that higher levels of structure and function are generated in the molecular realm of living cells. 
13. The principal elements of the UES—both old and new-- are clearly and briefly summarized in the final chapter of the book.
14. The author of “Rethinking Evolution” is passionate about the public understanding and appreciation of science in general and evolution in particular, and has managed to combine extremely broad scope, academic rigor, and accessibility to non-scientists and the general public in a single readable volume. As described in the “How to Use This Book” section of the front-matter, a variety of tools are provided so that non-scientists and beginning students of biology can get quickly up to speed.

Author Bio: 

Gene Levinson PhD MRSB is a generalist with broad and diverse professional experience and interests. Trained at the University of California at Berkeley, UC Irvine, and Harvard-affiliated research institutes, his doctoral thesis described a fundamental molecular mechanism for the expansion and diversification of simple repetitive DNA sequences. After serving as an award-winning Tutor in Biology for Harvard undergraduates--while pursuing research in molecular and cellular immunology--he founded and directed one of the first molecular genetics clinics in the world for prevention of genetic disorders, via amplification of single-cell human DNA, with zero clinical errors over his eight-year tenure. With a special interest in tutoring gifted and talented high school students, he has logged over a thousand hours of one-on-one sessions, focused on general and AP biology and chemistry, with over 300 five-star reviews from parents. In addition to forging an Updated Evolutionary Synthesis, his current interests include making evolution accessible to non-scientists, and building and launching an innovative online platform that helps make educational content, documentary films, and other digital media more accessible, more powerful, and more memorable.

To see reviews, and to read the first three chapters for free on Amazon Kindle, please follow this link: https://www.rethinkingevolution.com.

This article copyright (c) 2020 by Gene Levinson, PhD MRSB. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reprint in full, or to link to, the entire unmodified article, with proper attribution. Minor revisions (mostly to the order of the listed items) were made on 17 January 2020.