Mendel's Demon: Gene Justice and the Complexity of Life

Mendel's Demon: Gene Justice and the Complexity of Life by Ridley, Mark. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780297646341.

Why isnt life all simple - simple replicating molecules or simple single cells? Why are there multimillion-celled, long-lived monsters like us, built from tens of thousands of cooperating genes? The existence of complex life is one of the great mysteries of evolution, for complexity is neither inevitable nor necessary. As Mark Ridley shows in this important and thought-provoking book, two major biological hurdles had to be overcome to allow living complexity to evolve. Complex life is constructed from more genes than simple life. But as gene numbers increase, so too do the number of copying errors - it is easier to make a mistake copying the Bible than copying an advertising slogan. Similarly, natural selection encourages gene selfishness, and genes could easily evolve to subvert complex life forms. In retracing the history of life on our planet - from the initial wobbly replicating molecules, through microbes, worms and flies and ultimately to humans - Ridley reveals how life has evolved as a series of steps to deal with error and coerce genes to cooperate within each body. It is a process he likens to the guiding hand of a benign demon enforcing Mendels fundamental laws of inheritance.