Gabriel Dover
Encyclopedia
Gabriel A. Dover is a British
geneticist
. He is best known for coining the term molecular drive
in 1982 to describe a putative third evolutionary force operating distinctly from natural selection
and genetic drift
. More generally, his research has been on the evolution
of genes
and genomes, particularly the complex processes that occur in multigene families
such as ribosomal RNA
genes. His recent work has focused on development
in flies
, in particular the co-evolution
between the developmental regulatory elements involved in morphogenesis
.
His BSc in botany
and genetics
is from the University of Leeds
; his PhD, from the University of Cambridge
, is in the field of chromosomal genetics. The majority of his career was spent at the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. In 1992, Dover became a Professor of Genetics at the University of Leicester
. He was awarded a Research Fellowship in 1997 and an Emeritus Fellowship in 2002 by the Leverhulme Trust
.
Dover co-edited the textbook Genome Evolution (Academic Press, 1982) with Richard Flavell. He has also written a popular book on evolution, Dear Mr Darwin: Letters on the Evolution of Life and Human Nature (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000), framed as an exchange of letters with Charles Darwin
from beyond the grave. The book seeks to refute the selfish gene theory promulgated by Richard Dawkins
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
geneticist
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
. He is best known for coining the term molecular drive
Molecular drive
Adoptation redirects here and should not be confused with adaptationMolecular drive is a term coined by Gabriel Dover in 1982 to describe evolutionary processes that change the genetic composition of a population through DNA turnover mechanisms...
in 1982 to describe a putative third evolutionary force operating distinctly from natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
and genetic drift
Genetic drift
Genetic drift or allelic drift is the change in the frequency of a gene variant in a population due to random sampling.The alleles in the offspring are a sample of those in the parents, and chance has a role in determining whether a given individual survives and reproduces...
. More generally, his research has been on the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of genes
Gênes
Gênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy, named after the city of Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa, and it was divided in the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
and genomes, particularly the complex processes that occur in multigene families
Gene family
A gene family is a set of several similar genes, formed by duplication of a single original gene, and generally with similar biochemical functions...
such as ribosomal RNA
Ribosomal RNA
Ribosomal ribonucleic acid is the RNA component of the ribosome, the enzyme that is the site of protein synthesis in all living cells. Ribosomal RNA provides a mechanism for decoding mRNA into amino acids and interacts with tRNAs during translation by providing peptidyl transferase activity...
genes. His recent work has focused on development
Developmental biology
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and "morphogenesis", which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy.- Related fields of study...
in flies
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
, in particular the co-evolution
Co-evolution
In biology, coevolution is "the change of a biological object triggered by the change of a related object." Coevolution can occur at many biological levels: it can be as microscopic as correlated mutations between amino acids in a protein, or as macroscopic as covarying traits between different...
between the developmental regulatory elements involved in morphogenesis
Morphogenesis
Morphogenesis , is the biological process that causes an organism to develop its shape...
.
His BSc in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
is from the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
; his PhD, from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, is in the field of chromosomal genetics. The majority of his career was spent at the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. In 1992, Dover became a Professor of Genetics at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
. He was awarded a Research Fellowship in 1997 and an Emeritus Fellowship in 2002 by the Leverhulme Trust
Leverhulme Trust
The Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the will of the First Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, with the instruction that its resources should be used to support "scholarships for the purposes of research and education."...
.
Dover co-edited the textbook Genome Evolution (Academic Press, 1982) with Richard Flavell. He has also written a popular book on evolution, Dear Mr Darwin: Letters on the Evolution of Life and Human Nature (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2000), framed as an exchange of letters with Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
from beyond the grave. The book seeks to refute the selfish gene theory promulgated by Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
.
Key paper
- Dover GA (1982) Molecular drive: A cohesive mode of species evolution. Nature 299: 111–7.