Eva Jablonka facts for kids

Eva Jablonka (born in 1952) is an Israeli scientist. She studies how living things change over time, which is called evolution. She is also a geneticist, meaning she studies genes and heredity.

Eva Jablonka is especially known for her work on epigenetics. This field looks at how traits can be passed down without changes to the basic DNA code. She was born in Poland in 1952 and moved to Israel in 1957. Today, she is a professor at Tel Aviv University. She has won several awards for her important research.

Understanding Evolution

Eva Jablonka writes a lot about how life evolves. She focuses on ways that evolution happens beyond just changes in genes. Her ideas have helped expand how scientists think about evolution. Many see her as a leader in a new way of understanding evolution. This new way is called the extended evolutionary synthesis.

Epigenetics and Inheritance

One of her first books, Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution (1995), was written with Marion Lamb. This book explored how traits can be passed down through epigenetics. Epigenetics involves changes that affect how genes are read, but not the genes themselves.

Her book Animal Traditions (2000), written with Eytan Avital, looked at how animals learn from each other. It showed that cultural learning plays a big part in how animals evolve. This means that learned behaviors can also be passed down.

Four Ways Life Changes

In 2005, Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb wrote Evolution in Four Dimensions. They explained that traits can be passed down in four main ways:

• Genetic inheritance: This is the most well-known way. It's when DNA is passed from parents to children.
• Epigenetic inheritance: This involves changes to how DNA works, not the DNA itself. These changes can be passed on. For example, certain experiences might turn genes "on" or "off."
• Behavioral inheritance: This is about learned behaviors that are passed down. Animals can learn important skills like finding food from their parents or other animals. These traditions can last for many generations.
• Symbolic inheritance: This way of passing information is unique to humans. It includes language, stories, and culture. We share ideas and knowledge through talking and writing.

Jablonka and Lamb believe that all these ways of passing traits interact. They can even influence how DNA itself changes over time. They call this "evolving evolution."

Consciousness and Learning

Eva Jablonka has also explored the topic of consciousness. In 2019, she and Simona Ginsburg published The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul. They suggested a new idea about how consciousness began. They believe it started with a complex type of learning. They call this "unlimited associative learning."

In 2022, Jablonka and Ginsburg wrote Picturing the Mind. This book looked at what consciousness is and how it evolved. They suggest that not only humans but also animals like octopuses and bees might be conscious. They also wonder about aliens and artificial intelligence. They discuss what makes humans special, like our music or language.

Selected Books

• Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb (1995). Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution: the Lamarckian Dimension, Oxford University Press.
• Eytan Avital and Eva Jablonka. (2000) Animal Traditions: Behavioural Inheritance in Evolution. Cambridge University Press.
• Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb (2005) Evolution in Four Dimensions: Genetic, Epigenetic, Behavioral, and Symbolic Variation in the History of Life. MIT Press.
• Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka (2019) The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul. MIT Press.
• Eva Jablonka and Marion J. Lamb (2020) Inheritance Systems and the Extended Synthesis. Cambridge University Press.
• Simona Ginsburg and Eva Jablonka (2022) Picturing the Mind: Consciousness through the Lens of Evolution. MIT Press.

See also

In Spanish: Eva Jablonka para niños