Summary

Advances in molecular biology have revolutionized the study of evolution. Detailed comparative studies of genomes are facilitating the analysis of phylogenies and raising new questions such as the extent of lateral gene transfer. Evolutionary analyses of development show that innovations frequently involve the reuse of existing gene products and gene networks in new ways and that changes in gene expression are important in morphological evolution. Population genetic studies are shedding increasing light on the genetic basis of traits subject to both artificial and natural selection. Laboratory models of evolution are being applied to both molecular and whole-organism systems, yielding insights into the evolution of adaptations, which complement those arising from reconstructions of evolutionary paths using molecular sequence or paleontological data. Overall, the Symposium portrayed evolution as a field that, while retaining its Darwinian roots, is exploring ever-wider areas of biology as new techniques and ideas emerge.