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Developmental stability, disease and medicine

R Thornhill1, A P Møller

  • 1Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 87131-1091, USA.

Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
|February 12, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Developmental stability, measured by fluctuating asymmetry, indicates an organism's ability to withstand stress. It serves as a crucial marker for human health and quality, linking evolutionary and medical sciences.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Medicine
  • Darwinian Medicine

Background:

  • Developmental stability refers to a genotype's capacity for consistent phenotypic development amidst environmental conditions.
  • Deviations, such as fluctuating asymmetry, indicate stress impacts during ontogeny and are sensitive measures of coping ability.
  • Developmental stability and fluctuating asymmetry correlate negatively with fitness, suggesting their role as indicators of phenotypic and genetic quality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose developmental stability as a significant marker for human health.
  • To formally integrate evolutionary biology, developmental biology, and medicine.
  • To apply theoretical frameworks of developmental stability to human health issues within Darwinian medicine.

Main Methods:

  • Reviewing existing literature on developmental stability and human disease.
  • Applying theoretical concepts of developmental stability to various human health conditions.
  • Examining the link between developmental stability and outcomes like genetic diseases, aging, fertility, and mental health.

Main Results:

  • Fluctuating asymmetry is a sensitive indicator of stress during development.
  • Developmental stability negatively correlates with performance across multiple fitness domains.
  • Evidence supports developmental stability as a measure of phenotypic and genetic quality.

Conclusions:

  • Developmental stability is a vital marker for human health.
  • Integrating evolutionary and developmental biology with medicine offers a robust framework for understanding health.
  • The concept of developmental stability has broad applications in human health, from disease to attractiveness.

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