A Silent Gene Theory of Evolution

This website is dedicated to the dissemination and discussion of A Silent Gene Theory of Evolution, a radical new evolutionary theory by Warwick Collins.

According to Collins, before natural selection can act upon the various organisms within a species, a range of variation between individuals must be present. Natural selection, far from increasing this variation, actually reduces it in favour of an optimum type. If variation is constantly reduced by natural selection, what is the true source of variation in evolutionary systems? For many years Collins believed that the answer to this question would provide the true solution to the question of how evolution is driven.

In March 2000, Collins wrote to his former tutor, the distinguished biologist and evolutionary theorist Professor John Maynard Smith, enclosing a paper which proposed a comprehensive solution to the problem of variation. The paper specified that the requisite degree of variation could be generated by a large number of silent or inert genes, existing within the genome, which could slowly but freely mutate without deleteriously effecting the host organism.

Remarkably, his theoretical "silent" genes were found to correspond precisely with the "junk" genes, which typically comprise 97% of the genome, and whose function until then had seemed mysterious. In addition, Collins' theory predicted a number of features of the junk or silent genes which have since been increasingly verified by recent research. It is now widely accepted that, precisely as Collins predicted, the vast majority of significant mutation in the genome arises from the silent genes.

But Collins' powerful and ambitious theory moves well beyond the molecular realm. Collins believes that while natural selection is a major force in evolution, it is primarily negative and entropic. He proposes instead that the great driver of complex evolution is the range of variation created by the silent genes. These revolutionary themes are explored in his work A Silent Gene Theory of Evolution, which is available for purchase and download from this website. Meanwhile, a more detailed Introduction can be downloaded and read for free.

About the Author

Warwick Collins is the author of a number of internationally acclaimed novels such as The Rationalist, The Marriage of Souls and Gents. In parallel with his literary career, Collins has also pursued a lifelong interest in the theory of evolution.