Abstract
The conceptual framework for analysing the problem of how genes, epigenetics, and evolution are related was developed as early as the 1950s by Conrad Waddington ( 1957 ), who tried to understand the way genetics and development were integrated through the metaphor of the epigenetic (developmental) landscape. Waddington imagined development as a complex landscape of valleys and hills. The valleys represented developmental pathways that controlled the course of development from egg to adult. For example, if development proceeded down one valley representing, say, the growth of hair follicles, you ended up with straight hair, while an adjacent pathway might lead to curly hair. Waddington saw genes controlling the shape of this landscape through the action of their enzyme products.
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Michaux, B. (2014). Changing Seasons. In: Tewkesbury Walks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01544-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01544-6_8
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