Darwin the Newtonian. Part V. A spectrum, not a dogma

O ur previous installments on genetic drift (a form of chance) vs natural selection (a deterministic force-like phenomenon) and the degree t...

darwinismevolutiongenetic driftnatural selectionphenogenetic drift

Darwin the Newtonian. Part IV. What is 'natural selection'?

I f, as I suggested yesterday , genetic drift is a rather unprovable or even metaphysical notion, then what is the epistemological standing ...

causationevolutiongenetic driftnatural selectionphilosophy of science

Darwin the Newtonian. Part III. In what sense does genetic drift 'exist'?

I t has been about 50 years since Motoo Kimora and King and Jukes proposed that a substantial fraction of genetic variation can be selective...

darwinian evolutionevolutiongenetic driftmolecular evolutionpopulation geneticsselection

If mutations can go viral, adaptationism is less annoying.

Feb. 9, 2016: I have edited the paragraph beginning with "Exciting..." to remove details of mutation rates because my initial post...

de novo mutationsevolutiongenetic driftholly dunsworthmicrocephalymutationmutation ratesnatural selectionvirusviruseszikazika virus

Imagine no mutation.

Imagine no mutation. I wonder if you can. No means for new variation. A creationist's view of Man. Imagine all the people learning it th...

adaptationcurriculumde novo mutationseducationevolutionevolution educationgenetic driftholly dunsworthmutationnatural selectionpedagogy

The lungless salamander and the historical narrative

David Haskell's The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature is a most beautiful book.  Haskell teaches biology at the University of ...

genetic driftPlethodontid