Sublime

“Deoxyribonucleic acid,” I say. “It’s a molecular blueprint for all living things and it’s composed of nucleotides.” He squints at me, unsure of what to think. “Which are?” “Molecules.” I say. “And yeah, I know that a molecule is a bunch of atoms stuck together. DNA is a four-letter code. A. T. G. and C. Adenine, thymine, guanine, and cy…cy…” “Cyto

In reality, the concept means that the more favorable a trait is for a particular environment, the higher the chance of that organism living long enough to procreate. Biologist Geerat J. Vermeij describes it as “nonrandom elimination.” Charles Darwin spent decades

He compared a chromosome to one of those old audio cassettes we used before new technologies banished them to the museum, with DNA the tape inside the cassette and genes the songs on the tape.

Among the other proponents of gain-of-function research was one Anthony Fauci. In December 2011, he was the lead author—along with Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the NIH—of a Washington Post opinion piece headlined “A Flu Virus Risk Worth Taking.”

These changes occur at fairly regular intervals, like a molecular clock—one tiny mutation every two weeks, on average. Since those mutations happen at random places in the code, the genome of a virus in one part of the world will be slightly different than it is in other parts. By studying these cumulative, haphazard mutations collected from many t

paleontology,

Omega Principle

Importantly, evolution is not about optimization in the abstract; it is about optimization relative to other genetic variants within and across species. While we are evolving, so too are our enemies (like the influenza virus) and our friends (including the microbiomes in our guts). To a large extent, evolution is about preparing for the unknown, be