The Origins of Theoretical Developmental Genetics: Reinterpreting William Bateson’s Role in the History of Evolutionary Thought

Ochôa, Carlos

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65536-5_6

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Such a paradigm balances the Darwinian/neo‐Darwinian theory attributing a productive force to natural selection. The study of variation is the source of any evolutionary process, natural selection is a validator, not a producer (Bateson, 1904; Ochoa, 2021). As such, it is understood that the adaptive value of a modified organ is not intrinsic, but a possible consequence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The forelimbs of Alvarezsauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda): Insight from evolutionary teratology

Guinard¹

2022

Journal of Morphology

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Alvarezsauroidea (Tetanurae) are nonavian theropod dinosaurs whose forelimb evolution is characterised by the overdevelopment of digit I, at the expense of the other two digits, complemented by a drastic forelimb shortening in derived species (Parvicursorinae). These variations are recognised as evolutionary developmental anomalies. Evolutionary teratology hence leads to a double diagnosis with (1) macrodactyly of digit I and microdactyly of digits II and III, plus (2) anterior micromelia. The teratological macrodactyly/microdactyly coupling evolved first.Developmental mechanisms disturbing limb proportion are thought to be convergent with those of other Tetanurae (Tyrannosauridae, Carcharodontosauridae). As for the manual anomalies, both are specific to Alvarezsauroidea (macrodactyly/ microdactyly) and inherited (digit loss/reduction). While considering the frame-shift theory, posterior digits develop before the most anterior ones. There would therefore be a decrease in the area devoted to digits II (condensation 3) and III (condensation 4), in connection with the Shh signalling pathway, interacting with other molecular players such as the GLI3 protein and the Hox system. Developmental independence of digit I (condensation 2) would contribute to generating a particular morphology. Macrodactyly would be linked to a variation in Hoxd-13, impacting Gli3 activity, and increasing cell proliferation. The loss/reduction of digital ray/phalanges (digits II and III), would be associated with Shh activity, a mechanism inherited from the theropodan ancestry. The macrodactyly/microdactyly coupling, and then anterior micromelia, fundamentally changed the forelimb mechanical function, compared to the 'classical' grasping structure of basal representatives and other theropods. The distal ossification of the macrodactylian digit has been identified as physiological, implying the use of the structure. However, the debate on a particular 'adaptive' use is pointless as the ecology of an organism is interactively complex, being both at the scale of the individual and dependent on circumstances. Other anatomical features also allow for compensation and different predation (cursorial hindlimbs).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The forelimbs of Alvarezsauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda): Insight from evolutionary teratology

Guinard¹

2022

Journal of Morphology

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“…In contemporary works devoted to the history of evolutionism, one can increasingly often find postulates about the necessity of departure from the narrative, according to which Darwinism was a widely accepted theory in the nineteenth-century, and the competing concepts were of a religious or philosophical nature (e.g., Ceccarelli, 2021;Delisle, 2017;Ochoa, 2021). A historiography based on such a simple dichotomy distorts history by not fully reflecting the discussions that took place in the context of post-Darwinian biology and philosophy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Theism of Henryk Levittoux in Polish and International Context

Wagner

2021

FetR

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Henryk Levittoux (1822-1879) is currently best known as the model of Jan Matejko who posed for him as Nicolaus Copernicus. Less known, however, is his concept of evolution, which he presented as a part of his philosophical system and which caused a heated debates among Polish intellectuals in the second half of the nineteenth century. Levittoux's theory, which was trying to combine religious dogma with the achievements of contemporary science, breaks out of the popular historical narrative, in which it is assumed that the discussions about the evolutionism were dominated by creationists and pro-Darwinian positivists. The aim of this article will be to present Levittoux's theory of evolution and to show how he combined the ideas of evolution with the concept of Divine creation. Secondary focus of the article will be to place his theory in the broader context of scientific and philosophical changes, that took place in the nineteenth century. Attention will be paid to the way in which the professionalization of science affected natural philosophers, such as Levittoux, who were refusing to accept the rigorous positivist methodology. It will also be shown how Levittoux’s evolutionism became part of the so-called "developmental evolutionism" which promoted a completely different vision of evolution than Darwinism. The non-Darwinian nature of Levittoux's evolutionism was inspired by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire’s theory. Levittoux adopted his idea that species evolve thanks to the environmental stimulus which affects their ontogenesis. However, this idea will be extrapolated in Levittoux’s writings to the whole Earth. So, he will conclude that the Earth is the equivalent of the womb in which, like the fetus, all Life develops. All changes of species, in his opinion, are additionally controlled by a universal principle which he called the law of attraction-repulsion. This law was also the tool by which God created the world. The Levittoux’s concept is one of the first attempts to create a synthesis of evolutionism and religious thought in the Polish post-Darwinian philosophy of nature. Levittoux, as a continuator of Saint-Hilaire's thought, is also an interesting example of an attempt to instill in Polish philosophy French evolutionist thought.

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Inertia, Trend, and Momentum Reconsidered: G. G. Simpson—An Orthogeneticist?

Ochôa

2021

Evolutionary Biology – New Perspectives on Its Development

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The Origins of Theoretical Developmental Genetics: Reinterpreting William Bateson’s Role in the History of Evolutionary Thought

Cited by 5 publications

References 65 publications

The forelimbs of Alvarezsauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda): Insight from evolutionary teratology

The forelimbs of Alvarezsauroidea (Dinosauria: Theropoda): Insight from evolutionary teratology

Evolutionary Theism of Henryk Levittoux in Polish and International Context

Inertia, Trend, and Momentum Reconsidered: G. G. Simpson—An Orthogeneticist?

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