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Darwinian evolution and post developments in genomics

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Nature at Work: Ongoing Saga of Evolution

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Abstract

The status of Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection in ‘Origin of Species’ and the impact of recent developments in genetics on evolution form the theme of the paper. Despite the conflicting views of the role of mega and micro evolution as visualized by Darwin, his theory, followed by theory of inheritance and chromosome theory of heredity form the very foundation of our knowledge of evolution and continuity of life from generation to generation. In the post Darwinian phase, the importance of the regulatory sequence in the complex expression of genes controlling evolution has been emphasized. The role of high amount of non coding repeat sequences as well as mobile sequences in evolution has been discussed. Finally, the emergence of RNA as the primitive molecule of life and the present role of small RNAs in defence, growth, differentiation and indirectly evolution of species have been indicated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700019, India

    Arun Kumar Sharma

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  1. Arun Kumar Sharma
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CRDT, IIT, Delhi, India

    Vinod P. Sharma

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© 2010 The National Academy of Sciences, India

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Sharma, A.K. (2010). Darwinian evolution and post developments in genomics. In: Sharma, V.P. (eds) Nature at Work: Ongoing Saga of Evolution. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-8489-992-4_15

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