The Major Transitions in Evolution

The Major Transitions in Evolution

"The Major Transitions in Evolution" is a book written by John Maynard Smith and Eörs Szathmáry (Oxford University Press, 1995).

Maynard Smith and Szathmary identified several properties common to the transitions:
# Smaller entities have often come about together to form larger entities. e.g. Chromosomes, eukaryotes, sex multicellular colonies.
# Smaller entities often become differentiated as part of a larger entity. e.g. DNA & protein, organelles, anisogamy, tissues, castes
# The smaller entities are often unable to replicate in the absence of the larger entity. e.g. Organelles, tissues, castes
# The smaller entities can sometimes disrupt the development of the larger entity e.g. Meiotic drive (selfish non-Mendelian genes), parthenogenesis, cancers, coup d’état
# New ways of transmitting information have arisen.e.g. DNA-protein, cell heredity, epigenesis, universal grammar.

ee also

* Evolutionary history of life
* Metasystem transition, a related notion developed by Valentin Turchin in 1977.
* Origin of life
* Social evolution


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