Author Description

Professor Richard Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene in 1976 and 40 years later he published a 40th Anniversary Edition. On-going scientific research has enabled major new understandings and discoveries that throw light on how life processes function and some of these discoveries lead to re-examination of ‘Selfish Genes’ and their significance, as proposed by Richard Dawkins. Chapters 1 to 28 of my book, present important background information that can help readers better understand chapter 30 where I outline some key aspects of Richard Dawkins ‘Selfish Genes’ proposals and why I believe we have reached the stage in biological research where we can accept that the ‘Selfish Genes’ proposals – at least in their original form – are in serious trouble. Major discoveries include a vastly expanded fossil record, discoveries relating to the DNA codes of life, the intricate complexities within living things, epigenetics, orphan genes, hox genes, mitochondrial DNA, Quantum Biology and the complexities of human consciousness. In fact, we have reached a stage when many biologists are asking whether our understanding of how evolution works needs major revision. That is why chapter 31 is titled ‘Put it all in the ‘melting pot’. We need to put all the new discoveries relating to life and life processes into a scientific ‘melting pot’. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines ‘melting pot’ as ‘A place where many different people and ideas exist together, often mixing and producing something fundamentally new’. This ‘melting pot’ leads us to some fascinating possibilities requiring us to think ‘Outside the Box’. Scientific knowledge has been faced with previous revelations requiring us to accept proposals that initially seemed most unlikely. For instance, Albert Einstein’s formulas that are now the basis for our understanding of relationships between mass, energy and the speed of light. His formulas initiated the Atomic Age in human history. We now apply these form