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      Ecological Developmental Biology: The Environmental Regulation of Development, Health and Evolution

      book-review
      The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine
      YJBM

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          Abstract

          The degree to which genetics and the environment affect organismal development is an important question. Ecological Developmental Biology articulates this topic for today's researcher by integrating modern environmental issues such as climate change and pollution with disparate fields of modern biology. Geared towards those who have taken some college-level introductory biology coursework, the text is organized in three parts, which build upon one another. The first emphasizes molecular mechanisms related to how developing organisms interact with the natural world, the second expands these mechanisms in the context of mankind's effects on the environment, and the third emphasizes how various biological disciplines can work together to tackle these ideas. Fields of study that serve as common threads through each section include symbiosis/mutualism, epigenetics, and phenomics. The text does not shy away from discussing the public policy-related implications of biotechnology, and the authors emphasize that science and policy must be taught as integrated disciplines. Also supporting this multidisciplinary angle are the "Looking Ahead" sections which conclude each chapter. Here, the authors clearly outline important questions in the field which provide good resources for those unfamiliar with certain subdisciplines. However, this degree to which the authors aim to integrate policy and science also manifests itself in material that's a bit unorthodox for a science textbook, such as what's found in the appendices and "Philosophical Coda." The appendices in particular are formatted less like the organized morsels of information found in most science textbooks and more as ethics and policy-based chapters that appear to have been mysteriously omitted from earlier sections. Additionally, there are at times clumsy commentaries, such as the authors' assertion that environmentally induced modifications of the genome were formerly considered impossible, when more precisely the modern concepts of genetics and epigenetics have developed together since the early part of the 20th century. Lastly, while many controversial topics are well-outlined, such as the use of pesticides and BPA-containing plastics, others go mostly unmentioned, notably plant GMOs and their uses in agriculture. Overall, Ecological Developmental Biology is a good companion for the undergraduate or graduate interested in dwelling not only at the crossroads of molecular and ecological-based biology, but also in fields of public policy and philosophy.

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          Author and article information

          Contributors
          Journal
          Yale J Biol Med
          Yale J Biol Med
          yjbm
          YJBM
          The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine
          YJBM
          0044-0086
          1551-4056
          23 December 2016
          December 2016
          : 89
          : 4
          : 601-602
          Affiliations
          Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
          Article
          yjbm894601a
          5168837
          a5e15f77-74e8-4b3e-908c-4b5873dcc321
          Copyright ©2016, Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

          This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License, which permits for noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any digital medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not altered in any way.

          History
          Product

           

          Ecological Developmental Biology: The Environmental Regulation of Development, Health and Evolution.

          2015. Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, Massachusetts. ISBN: (Paperback) 978-1605353449. US $72.95. 576 p.

          Categories
          Book Review
          Focus: Epigenetics

          Medicine
          Medicine

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