Highlight: Old but Changeable-On the Family History of Nuclear Lamina.

Abstract

There are many ways to build a car: from stretch limousines to tiny economy cars, as long as the vehicle drives and is reasonably safe, no one design is inherently right or wrong. Comparing different models is useful, says Mark Field of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee, because it quickly makes clear what the essence of a car is. Early cars tended to be very similar to each other. Now cars are more variable, versatile, and complex than ever. Some use petrol, some diesel, some use electricity, others run on hybrid systems. All something need to pass for a car is four wheels, a means to take in energy, and a propulsion system that is geared so it can speed up and slow down. As a biologist interested in the mechanics of eukaryotic evolution, Field applies the same sort of comparison to living organisms as well. If you look at what’s different between one car and another, it can tell you something about its owner or its purpose, he says. And if you look at how organisms have changed over time, you can learn something about the complexity of evolution.