Predrag B. Slijepčević obtained his PhD in chromosome biology at the University of Sarajevo in 1991. He worked as a post-doctoral scientist at the Universities of Cambridge, Leiden and St Andrews from 1992 to 1998. Since 1998 he works at Brunel University London.
Working on animal and human cells, Dr. Slijepčević discovered the involvement of chromosome-end structures, or telomeres, in DNA repair processes. This challenged the Neo-Darwinian notion of ‘selfish genes’ – it is chromosomes rather than genes that shape the evolution of eukaryotes. He published widely, including Nature, in the filed of chromosome and telomere biology.
Following on the lead from chromosome biology, that points towards the Lamarckian processes that shape biological systems, Dr. Slijepčević investigates how these systems, from bacteria to animals and beyond, perceive and process environmental stimuli (that is, biological information) and how this processing, which is a form of natural learning, affects the organism–environment interactions. He aims to identify those elements in the organisation of biological systems that lead to forms of natural epistemology, or biological intelligence, that may qualify those systems as cognitive agents. Dr. Slijepčević advocates the concept of biocivilisations – the biosphere may be viewed as a flow of biogenic forms and functions, articulated by the principles of agency, symbiosis and mind, that translates into the biocivilised ‘blue planet’ or Gaia. No single species can dominate the biocivilised planet. All species are equal.
