Revolutionary Biology pt. 1: Nature vs. Nurture vs. Synthesis
Fight Like An Animal
The One Gene One Phenotype Problem
The practice of phrasing evolutionary explanations almost entirely in terms of genes has led to a number of contradictions that collectively might be called the genotype phenotype problem. While molecular studies of gene expression make it possible to actually connect phenotypes to genes by tracing the details of their developmental pathways gene identification and mapping may reinforce the false impression that there are genes for complex traits. The one gene one phenotype error recognized decades ago within evolutionary biology has resurfaced twice first as the shellfish gene and behavioral ecology and sociobiology where it became quite common to speak of genes for such traits as altruism or cheating. It is both an advantage and a challenge to attempt such a synthesis during what has become the age
