Phenotypic plasticity–the ability of an individual organism to alter its features in direct
response to a change in its environment–is ubiquitous. Understanding how and why this …

Canalization refers to the evolution of populations such that the number of individuals who
deviate from the optimum trait, or experience disease, is minimized. In the presence of rapid …

The relationship between the evolutionary dynamics observed in contemporary populations
(microevolution) and evolution on timescales of millions of years (macroevolution) has been …

Developmental systems integrate inputs of variation from different origins into the
observable variation of the resulting phenotype. Different components of phenotypic …

Evolutionary constraints may significantly bias phenotypic change, while “breaking” from
such constraints can lead to expanded ecological opportunity. Ray-finned fishes have …

How does the genome encode the form of the organism? What is the nature of this genomic
code? Common metaphors, such as a blueprint or program, fail to capture the complex …

Protein folding both promotes and constrains adaptive evolution. We uncover this surprising
duality in the role of the protein-folding chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in …

The etiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) involves complex interaction of
genetic and environmental factors. A large number of observational studies have shown that …

The ability to thrive in diverse environments requires that species maintain development and
reproduction despite dynamic conditions. Many developmental processes are stabilized …

In multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction requires the separation of the germline from
the soma. In flowering plants, the female germline precursor differentiates as a single spore …