Harper has put up a new page on Amazon for the reissued paperback of Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea. It will include an introduction I’ve written that surveys some of the important developments in both the science and politics of evolution in the five years since the book was published. The Amazon page doesn’t show the cover yet, but it’s in the fall catalog–a subset of these lovely eyes. The publication date is scheduled for November (cough…Christmas gifts…cough). 

Originally published March 14, 2006. Copyright 2006 Carl Zimmer.

Last October, a lawsuit was leveled against an evolution web site at UC Berkeley, based on the claim that government funds had been used to promote religious belief. I contributed the section on the history of biological thought. Judy Scotchmoor, the project’s coordinator, just dropped me an email letting me know that the judge has dismissed the case. One less frivolous lawsuit clogging the courts. I’ve got to run, but if I get more information later, I’ll update this post. 

Update: Berkeley press release here. 

Continue reading “Frivolous Creationist Lawsuits” →

Natural selection can favor genes that allow children to grow up healthy. But in order to grow up healthy, they need nurturing from their mothers, both before and after birth. If a baby’s development puts a strain on a mother, she may end up having fewer children. That means she may spread fewer copies of her genes to later generations . That creates conditions in which natural selection may also genes that allow mothers to restrain their children. Our particular way of having kids puts genes in conflict.

Continue reading “Mothers, Children, and Genes in Conflict” →

How do we know that we are kin to chimpanzees and howler monkeys and the other primates? For one thing, it’s by far the best explanation for the fossil record. For another, our DNA shows signs of kinship to other primates, much like the genetic markers that are shared by people from a particular ethnic group. There’s a third line of evidence that I find particularly fascinating: the viruses carried by humans and other apes.

Continue reading “The Sixty-Million-Year Virus” →

In trying to navigate the new ethical territory of blogging, I’ve decided to delete part of one of my posts. The full explanation is below.

Last week the story about the Turkish “quadruped” family was in circulation. I pointed to an article in which a Turkish scientist made an accusation of unethical payments against English scientists and a television company. When one of the English scientists, Nicholas Humphrey, complained in the comments that I was spreading “empty gossip,” I updated the post with a partial retraction, apologizing for not following up on the accusation.

Continue reading “A Retraction and a Deletion” →