1. Body axes; 2. Nervous system; 3. Vision; 4. Touch and hearing; 5. Smell and taste; 6. Limbs; 7. Heart.
A comparison of the genetic circuits of Homo sapiens and Drosophila reveals the evidence for deep homology.
Lewis I. Held, Jr is a fly geneticist who has taught human embryology for 30 years. He studied molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, 1973), investigated bristle patterning under John Gerhart at the University of California, Berkeley (PhD, 1977) and conducted postdoctoral research with Peter Bryant and Howard Schneiderman at the University of California, Irvine (1977–86). Deep Homology? is his fifth scholarly monograph, following Models for Embryonic Periodicity (1992), Imaginal Discs (Cambridge, 2002), Quirks of Human Anatomy (Cambridge, 2009) and How the Snake Lost its Legs (Cambridge, 2014).
'The book is a great learning tool and valuable resource for
students and researchers in the field of developmental genetics and
evolutionary biology. The author, himself an expert in Drosophila
development, gives an in depth overview of the research into how
genes control the processes by which simple embryos turn into
complex organisms. He draws out in a clear and concise manner the
parallels that unite all animals in regard to developmental
mechanisms and the underlying gene networks. The way it is
conceived the book follows a novel and highly original approach, by
directly drawing comparisons between known gene functions and
mutant phenotypes in fruit flies and clinical syndromes caused by
mutations in homologous genes in humans. As a result, Deep
Homology? … will be a relevant and inspiring read for a broad
readership interested in the biological underpinnings of human
health and disease.' Volker Hartenstein, University of California,
Los Angeles
'Deep Homology? explores a deep truth. There is a kinship between
human bodies and the bodies of flies. Way down at the level of the
genes, our family likenesses are incredibly intricate, interesting,
and instructive. To trace these resemblances is to discover (among
other things) the ghostly image of our lost common ancestor, which
lived six hundred million years ago. Lewis Held, Jr lays out all of
the details, the nuts and bolts of what we know and what we don't,
with great charm and enthusiasm. The picture is complex. It is also
beautifully simple, as William Blake understood when he wrote 'The
Fly.' 'Am not I /a fly like thee? /Or art not thou /a fly like me?'
Jonathan Weiner, Author of Time, Love, Memory
'Rarely has a technical concept been brought so vividly to life as
'deep homology' is in Lewis I. Held, Jr's most recent Devo-Evo
manifesto. Deep homology is real, as real as the bilaterian
ancestor was alive some 600Mio years ago, that is the conclusion of
this eminently readable, informative and entertaining book.' Gunter
Wagner, Yale University, Connecticut
'… fun and informative.' Christopher J. Percival, Evolutionary
Anthropology
'Held is an honest, excited, and entertaining writer … [he] has
delivered an essay that can be a valuable tool for future
evo-devotees seeking to probe the deepest dark depths of deep
homology. His work has cataloged and organized the key works of the
field and the brains that were behind them. It has outlined the
questions that still perplex us - and some of the directions we
must go to refine our answers.' David M. Linz and Armin P. Moczek,
Evolution and Development
'… this is a valuable reference work. That said, it is not a long
book, more a monograph, but it is densely packed with information
and discussion. I found it surprisingly accessible, despite the
state-of-the-art content.' Les Rose, The Biologist
'I am a major fan of Lewis I. Held's evo-devo books. In each I've
encountered material that pushes me to, and sometimes over, the
edge of my own understanding – but to me, that's what education is
all about. Reading them and using them in my classes, I felt
privileged to benefit from the insights of a scholar seriously
devoted to his own teaching.' Mark Terry, American Biology Teacher
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