Modularity is now generally recognized as a fundamental feature of organisms, one that may
have profound consequences for evolution. Modularity has recently become a major focus of …

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo–devo) explores the mechanistic relationships
between the processes of individual development and phenotypic change during evolution …

Synthetic biology and bioengineering provide the opportunity to create novel embodied
cognitive systems (otherwise known as minds) in a very wide variety of chimeric …

An emerging class of theories concerning the functional structure of the brain takes the
reuse of neural circuitry for various cognitive purposes to be a central organizational …

Identifying the modular components of a configuration of landmarks is an important task of
morphometric analyses in evolutionary developmental biology. Modules are integrated …

Integration and modularity refer to the patterns and processes of trait interaction and
independence. Both terms have complex histories with respect to both conceptualization …

Geckos are well known for their extraordinary clinging abilities and many species easily
scale vertical or even inverted surfaces. This ability is enabled by a complex digital adhesive …

▪ Abstract Co-option occurs when natural selection finds new uses for existing traits,
including genes, organs, and other body structures. Genes can be co-opted to generate …

Canalization and developmental stability refer to the tendency of developmental processes
to follow particular trajectories, despite external or internal perturbation. Canalization is the …

Genetic architecture, the structure of the mapping from genotype to phenotype, determines
the variational properties of the phenotype and is instrumental in understanding its …