Evolution as a pachinko history: what is 'random'?

W e discussed a Japanese pachinko machine in an earlier post , a pinball machine, as an example of the difference between randomness and det...

adaptationchanceevolutionnatural selectionpachinko machines

Sinus Mass Chance Finding (Incidentaloma)

The New York Times published a great story on the dreaded incidentaloma on Jan 17, 2013. An incidentaloma is essentially a chance finding o...

cancerchanceCTcystincidentincidentalomainclusionmassmrimucosalnew york timesNYTscansinussurgerytesttumor

The Centrality of Cooperation in Life: a first installment

A recent story in the New York Times science section about the importance of cooperation in ant colonies reminded us that we've been f...

biological mechanismschancecompetitioncooperationdarwinian evolutiondevelopmentnatural selectionThe Mermaid's Tale