Gerd Müller (theoretical biologist)
Encyclopedia
Gerd B. Müller is professor at the University of Vienna
where he heads the Department of Theoretical Biology and is speaker of the Center for Organismal Systems Biology
. His research interests focus on evolutionary innovation, evo-devo
theory, and the extension of the Evolutionary Synthesis
. He is also concerned with the development of micro-CT
based quantitative tools in developmental biology.
Müller received an M.D. in 1979 and a Ph.D. in zoology in 1985, both from the University of Vienna. He has been a sabbatical fellow at the Department of Developmental Biology, Dalhousie University
, Canada (1988) and a visiting scholar at the Museum of Comparative Zoology
, Harvard University
(1988–89). He is a founding member of the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research
, Altenberg, Austria, of which he is chairman since 1998. Müller is on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including Biological Theory
where he serves as an Associate Editor. He is also editor (together with Günter Wagner and Werner Callebaut) of the Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology
, a book series devoted to theoretical developments in the biosciences, published by MIT Press
.
With the cell and developmental biologist Stuart Newman
, Müller co-edited the book Origination of Organismal Form
(MIT Press, 2003). This book on evolutionary developmental biology
is a collection of papers on generative mechanisms that were plausibly involved in the origination of disparate body forms during the Ediacaran
and early Cambrian
periods. Particular attention is given to epigenetic
factors, such as physical determinants and environmental parameters, that may have led to the spontaneous emergence of bodyplans and organ forms during a period when multicellular organisms had relatively plastic
morphologies. Natural selection
acting on variant genotypes is suggested to have then "locked in" these body plans.
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
where he heads the Department of Theoretical Biology and is speaker of the Center for Organismal Systems Biology
Systems biology
Systems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
. His research interests focus on evolutionary innovation, evo-devo
Evolutionary 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...
theory, and the extension of the Evolutionary Synthesis
History of evolutionary thought
Evolutionary thought, the conception that species change over time, has roots in antiquity, in the ideas of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Chinese as well as in medieval Islamic science...
. He is also concerned with the development of micro-CT
Microtomography
Microtomography , like tomography, uses x-rays to create cross-sections of a 3D-object that later can be used to recreate a virtual model without destroying the original model....
based quantitative tools in developmental biology.
Müller received an M.D. in 1979 and a Ph.D. in zoology in 1985, both from the University of Vienna. He has been a sabbatical fellow at the Department of Developmental Biology, Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, Canada (1988) and a visiting scholar at the Museum of Comparative Zoology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
(1988–89). He is a founding member of the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research
Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research
The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research is an international center for advanced studies in theoretical biology. It supports the articulation, analysis, and integration of biological theories and the exploration of their wider scientific and cultural significance...
, Altenberg, Austria, of which he is chairman since 1998. Müller is on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including Biological Theory
Biological Theory
Biological Theory is a peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to theoretical advances in the fields of evolution and cognition. It was established in 2005 and is published online and in hard copy by the MIT Press and the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research....
where he serves as an Associate Editor. He is also editor (together with Günter Wagner and Werner Callebaut) of the Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology
Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology
The Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology is a book series published by MIT Press and devoted to advances in theoretical biology at large. By promoting the formulation and discussion of new theoretical concepts, the series intends to help fill the gaps in our understanding of some of the major open...
, a book series devoted to theoretical developments in the biosciences, published by MIT Press
MIT Press
The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
.
With the cell and developmental biologist Stuart Newman
Stuart Newman
Stuart Alan Newman is a professor of cell biology and anatomy at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY, United States. His research centers around three program areas: cellular and molecular mechanisms of vertebrate limb development, physical mechanisms of morphogenesis, and mechanisms of...
, Müller co-edited the book Origination of Organismal Form
Origination of Organismal Form
Origination of Organismal Form: Beyond the Gene in Developmental and Evolutionary Biology is a book published in 2003 edited by Gerd B. Müller and Stuart A. Newman. It explores the multiple factors that may have been responsible for the origination of biological form in multicellular life...
(MIT Press, 2003). This book on evolutionary developmental biology
Evolutionary 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...
is a collection of papers on generative mechanisms that were plausibly involved in the origination of disparate body forms during the Ediacaran
Ediacaran
The Ediacaran Period , named after the Ediacara Hills of South Australia, is the last geological period of the Neoproterozoic Era and of the Proterozoic Eon, immediately preceding the Cambrian Period, the first period of the Paleozoic Era and of the Phanerozoic Eon...
and early Cambrian
Cambrian explosion
The Cambrian explosion or Cambrian radiation was the relatively rapid appearance, around , of most major phyla, as demonstrated in the fossil record, accompanied by major diversification of other organisms, including animals, phytoplankton, and calcimicrobes...
periods. Particular attention is given to epigenetic
Epigenetic Theory
Epigenetic theory is an emergent theory of development that includes both the genetic origins of behavior and the direct influence that environmental forces have, over time, on the expression of those genes...
factors, such as physical determinants and environmental parameters, that may have led to the spontaneous emergence of bodyplans and organ forms during a period when multicellular organisms had relatively plastic
Phenotypic plasticity
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to changes in the environment. Such plasticity in some cases expresses as several highly morphologically distinct results; in other cases, a continuous norm of reaction describes the functional interrelationship...
morphologies. Natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
acting on variant genotypes is suggested to have then "locked in" these body plans.
Edited books
- Modeling Biology (2007, together with M. Laubichler) (see also MIT press)
- Origination of Organismal Form (2003, together with Stuart Newman)Origination of Organismal FormOrigination of Organismal Form: Beyond the Gene in Developmental and Evolutionary Biology is a book published in 2003 edited by Gerd B. Müller and Stuart A. Newman. It explores the multiple factors that may have been responsible for the origination of biological form in multicellular life...
- Evolution – the Extended Synthesis (2010, together with M. Pigliucci)
Selected articles
- Müller G.B. 2007. EvoDevo: Extending the evolutionary synthesis. Nat. Rev. Genet. 8(12): 943-950.
- Müller G.B. and S.A. Newman. 2005. The innovation triad: An EvoDevo agenda. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 304: 487-503.
- Newman S.A. and G.B. Müller. 2005. Origination and innovation in the vertebrate limb skeleton: An epigenetic perspective. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 304: 593-609.
- Müller G.B. 2003. Homology: The evolution of morphological organization. In: Origination of Organismal Form (Müller G.B. and S.A. Newman eds.), pp 51–69. MIT Press, Cambridge.
- Newman S.A. and G.B. Müller. 2000. Epigenetic mechanisms of character origination. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 288: 304-317.
- Streicher J., M.A. Donat, B. Strauss, R. Spörle, K. Schughart, and G.B. Müller. 2000. Computer-based three-dimensional representation of developmental gene expression. Nature Genetics 25 (2): 147-152.
- Müller G.B. and G.P. Wagner. 1991. Novelty in evolution: Restructuring the concept. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 22: 229-256.