Evolvability is the ability of a biological system to produce phenotypic variation that is both
heritable and adaptive. It has long been the subject of anecdotal observations and …

The genotype–fitness map (that is, the fitness landscape) is a key determinant of evolution,
yet it has mostly been used as a superficial metaphor because we know little about its …

At a time of unprecedented expansion in the life sciences, evolution is the one theory that
transcends all of biology. Any observation of a living system must ultimately be interpreted in …

Epistasis for fitness means that the selective effect of a mutation is conditional on the genetic
background in which it appears. Although epistasis is widely observed in nature, our …

Evolutionary concepts such as mutation and selection can be best described when
formulated as mathematical equations. Cancer arises as a consequence of somatic …

Avian A/H5N1 influenza viruses pose a pandemic threat. As few as five amino acid
substitutions, or four with reassortment, might be sufficient for mammal-to-mammal …

Most aspects of the molecular biology of cells involve tightly coordinated intermolecular
interactions requiring specific recognition at the nucleotide and/or amino acid levels. This …

Cancer cells contain numerous clonal mutations, ie, mutations that are present in most or all
malignant cells of a tumor and have presumably been selected because they confer a …

The book aims to provide an introduction to mathematical models that describe the
dynamics of tumor growth and the evolution of tumor cells. It can be used as a textbook for …

Adaptive evolution is generally assumed to progress through the accumulation of beneficial
mutations. However, as deleterious mutations are common in natural populations, they …