Sean B. Carroll
Encyclopedia
Sean B. Carroll is a Professor of Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Medical Genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. He studies the evolution of cis
-regulation
in the context of biological development, using Drosophila
as a model system. He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
investigator.
("evo-devo"). He is also the author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful
: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom (ISBN 0-393-06016-0), one of the first popular summary narratives of the field. He is a professor of genetics, medical genetics, and molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin–Madsion, and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
. Additionally, he writes a monthly column for the New York Times called "Remarkable Creatures." He is a strong advocate of the primacy of cis-regulatory evolution in the context of morphological evolution.
He is also the author of The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution (ISBN 0-393-06163-9), in which he argues for the irrefutable existence of natural selection by detailing numerous examples of DNA which has recently been traced from current species to long extinct ones.
. He then received his Ph.D. in immunology from Tufts University
.
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. He studies the evolution of cis
Cis-regulatory element
A cis-regulatory element or cis-element is a region of DNA or RNA that regulates the expression of genes located on that same molecule of DNA . This term is constructed from the Latin word cis, which means "on the same side as". These cis-regulatory elements are often binding sites for one or...
-regulation
Regulation of gene expression
Gene modulation redirects here. For information on therapeutic regulation of gene expression, see therapeutic gene modulation.Regulation of gene expression includes the processes that cells and viruses use to regulate the way that the information in genes is turned into gene products...
in the context of biological development, using Drosophila
Drosophila
Drosophila is a genus of small flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "fruit flies" or more appropriately pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species to linger around overripe or rotting fruit...
as a model system. He is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
investigator.
Biography
Carroll is at the forefront of a field known as evolutionary developmental biologyEvolutionary developmental biology
Evolutionary developmental biology is a field of biology that compares the developmental processes of different organisms to determine the ancestral relationship between them, and to discover how developmental processes evolved...
("evo-devo"). He is also the author of Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom is a 2005 book by Sean B. Carroll. It attempts to summarize the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology and has won numerous awards for science communication...
: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom (ISBN 0-393-06016-0), one of the first popular summary narratives of the field. He is a professor of genetics, medical genetics, and molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin–Madsion, and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a United States non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded by the American businessman Howard Hughes in 1953. It is one of the largest private funding organizations for biological and medical research in the United...
. Additionally, he writes a monthly column for the New York Times called "Remarkable Creatures." He is a strong advocate of the primacy of cis-regulatory evolution in the context of morphological evolution.
He is also the author of The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution (ISBN 0-393-06163-9), in which he argues for the irrefutable existence of natural selection by detailing numerous examples of DNA which has recently been traced from current species to long extinct ones.
Education
Carroll received his bachelors at Washington University in St. LouisWashington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. He then received his Ph.D. in immunology from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
.
External links
- Official website
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute biography for Sean B. Carroll
- An excerpt from Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo
- Scientific American article "Regulating Evolution: How Gene Switches Make Life"
- The New York Times article "From a Few Genes, Life’s Myriad Shapes"
- NPR:Talk of the Nation, October 20, 2006 podcast "Author Uses DNA Record to Argue Evolution"
- Video of Sean B. Carroll's lecture: "Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species" at the Quantum to Cosmos Festival.