Molecular Evolution on Rugged Landscapes

Rugged fitness landscapes, and emerging area of biological science, underline both molecular and morphological evolution. Mathematical descriptions of such landscapes can be expected to lead to new experimental studies that actually test and establish their structure. In addition, current experimental techniques now allow one to carry out applied molecular evolution in the laboratory, opening up the possibility of evolving biomolecules for medical and industrial use. Molecular Evolution on Rugged Fitness Landscapes, based on a Santa Fe Institute workshop, is the first book to serve as a comprehensive introduction to these tools that permit researchers to study the structures of complex, rugged, multipeaked fitness landscapes.The first section of the book outlines a number of the general issues concerning the structure of rugged fitness landscapes. The second section examines both the history and status of experimental work on somatic mutation and the maturation of the immune response, and discusses the hypercycle model of the origin of life. This proceedings volume is an excellent reference for graduate students and professionals in immunology, population biology, physics and molecular biology.