Tag Archives: evolution

Scientists bend observation to fit evolution

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Joe

This is another archival repost, originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. I wrote the majority of this post a couple of years ago, when I had the intention to do a regular … Continue reading →

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The appeal to fair play

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Joe

This is another archival repost, originally written for the old blog in march 2007. Shockingly, it’s a new article on the blog. Even more shocking: there will be several more following over the next few weeks. “All those people who … Continue reading →

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The selfish gene drives an operon

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost first written for the old blog in 2007. On Monday I mentioned John Maynard Smith’s videos at People’s Archive. They really are marvelous, and you should watch them all. One of the topics he discusses … Continue reading →

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In which a load is lifted

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Joe

I think I’ve mentioned before that I keep a copy of Burkhardt’s Selected Letters of Charles Darwin handy in the smallest room (“for fun“). In this letter to Asa Gray in November 1857, a load is lifted from Chaz’s mind… … Continue reading →

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Risk compensation, shared space and unstable evolutionary strategies

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Joe

This post probably doesn’t quite work, but at At War With The Motorist I continue the thread on shared space by considering the mechanism by which it works: risk compensation — the idea that when traffic management is ripped out, … Continue reading →

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Oceans on evolution: you’re doing it wrong

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost from the old blog — this one from December 2008. So, BBC TWO’s Oceans: marine ecology’s answer to Time Team. I get as excited by marine biology as the next nerd, and you don’t have … Continue reading →

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Did Darwin Kill God?

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost from the old blog — this time from april 2009. I found on the iPlayer the latest in BBC2′s series of Darwin documentaries, Did Darwin Kill God? This is theologian Conor Cunningham’s attempt reconcile science … Continue reading →

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Lay Science: The Selfish Genius

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Joe

This was originally written a year ago on a now disused blog. I’m reposting it here because I enjoyed writing it so much that I wouldn’t want it to disappear. People love a good argument with Richard Dawkins. So many … Continue reading →

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Sir David was wrong

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Joe

Another in the ongoing project to archive posts from an old blog – this one from february 2009. Not in the television programme — well, I don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet due to pesky tennis fans capturing the … Continue reading →

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Evelyn Fox Keller on genes, evolution, and epigenetics

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Joe

This is another archival repost from the old blog, first published way back in March 2008. I’ve been following CBC’s How To Think About Science series, and caught the Evelyn Fox Keller episode the other day. It was interesting, but … Continue reading →

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Origin Ch.15: Polemic

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Joe

This post is part of a series on The Origin Of Species.  It was originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. There are those who declare Darwin’s literary brilliance, and those who proudly … Continue reading →

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Origin Ch.14: Explanatory power

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Joe

This post is part of a series on The Origin Of Species.  It was originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. It’s getting late in the book, and for a while now Darwin … Continue reading →

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Origin Ch.13: Darwin the experimentalist

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Joe

This post is part of a series on The Origin Of Species.  It was originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. Two pages into chapter thirteen we get a fantastic image of Darwin … Continue reading →

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Origin Ch.12: Noah’s Ark

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Joe

This post is part of a series on The Origin Of Species.  It was originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. Oh dear, the topic seems to have taken a distinct veer into … Continue reading →

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Origin Ch.11: Where the fossil record went right

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Joe

This post is part of a series on The Origin Of Species.  It was originally posted on the old blog in feb 2009, during the Darwin 200 celebrations. The creationist site that I briefly reviewed yesterday repeated the claim that … Continue reading →

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