One of the most exciting lines of research in evolution today is how parasites have become so good at making us sick. A case in point appears in the latest issue of Genome Biology (full text of paper here). It appears that parasites have stolen one of our best lines of defense and now use it against us.

Continue reading “Battle of the Hole Punchers” →

I always like book reviews that combine books that might not at first seem to have that much in common. In the new issue of Natural History, the neuroscientist Williams Calvin reviews Soul Made Flesh along with The Birth of the Mind, a fascinating book by Gary Marcus of NYU. If you haven’t heard of Marcus’s new book–which explores how genes produce minds–definitely check it out.

Continue reading “From Souls to Genes” →

Do you know who George Williams is? If you don’t, let me introduce you to one of the most influential evolutionary biologists ever to ponder natural selection. If you do know who he is, you may still be interested in my article in this week’s Science about a symposium that was recently held in Williams’s honor. Scientists studying everything from pregnancy to economic decision making explained how Williams’s remarkably clear thinking about the nature of adaptation helped them in their research.

Continue reading “Mister Adaptation” →

It’s strange enough hearing yourself talking on the radio. It’s stranger still to see a transcript someone makes of you talking on the radio. Recently I was interviewed about Soul Made Flesh on Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s show “All in the Mind.” Instead of an audio archive, ABC has posted a transcript of the show. While I can’t claim I spoke in perfect paragraphs, we had an interesting talk about how the brain became the center of our existence.

Continue reading “All in the Australian Mind” →