Geobulletin alpha

Born This Day: Theodosius Dobzhansky 

Dobzhansky (Jan.25, 1900–Dec. 18, 1975) is noted for being one of the architects of the modern Synthetic Theory of evolution. During the first 20 years of the 20th century, Darwin's theory of natural selection had fallen out of favor among scientists. Many thought it insufficient to explain the origin of adaptations, while new discoveries of gene mutations seemed to them to be incompatible

Born This Day Alfred Russel Wallace 

Wallace (Jan. 8, 1823 – Nov. 7, 1913) was a British naturalist and biogeographer. He was the first westerner to describe some of the most interesting natural habitats in the tropics. He is best known for devising a theory of the origin of species through natural selection made independently of Darwin. Between 1854 and 1862, Wallace assembled evidence of natural selection in the Malay

Died This Day: Theodosius Dobzhansky 

Dobzhansky (Jan.25, 1900–Dec. 18, 1975) is noted for being one of the architects of the modern Synthetic Theory of evolution. During the first 20 years of the 20th century, Darwin's theory of natural selection had fallen out of favor among scientists. Many thought it insufficient to explain the origin of adaptations, while new discoveries of gene mutations seemed to them to be incompatible

Died This Day: J.B.S. Haldane 

Haldane (Nov. 5, 1892 - Dec. 1, 1964) is best remembered along with E. B. Ford and R. A. Fisher one of the three major figures to develop the mathematical theory of population genetics. His greatest contribution was in a series of ten papers on "A Mathematical Theory of Natural and Artificial Selection" which was the major series of papers on the mathematical theory of natural selection.

Agriculture Changed Us 

.. and I don't mean just culturally,  but biologically as well. Carl Zimmer in the New York Times summarizes recent results from a wide ranging study which incorporates the genetics of extant as well as ancient Europeans. The study found evidence for several instance of natural selection altering height, digestion, skin color and our immune system. from the article: Previous studies

Died This Day: Alfred Russel Wallace 

Wallace (Jan. 8, 1823 – Nov. 7, 1913) was a British naturalist and biogeographer. He was the first westerner to describe some of the most interesting natural habitats in the tropics. He is best known for devising a theory of the origin of species through natural selection made independently of Darwin. Between 1854 and 1862, Wallace assembled evidence of natural selection in the Malay

Born This Day: J.B.S. Haldane 

Haldane (Nov. 5, 1892 - Dec. 1, 1964) is best remembered along with E. B. Ford and R. A. Fisher one of the three major figures to develop the mathematical theory of population genetics. His greatest contribution was in a series of ten papers on "A Mathematical Theory of Natural and Artificial Selection" which was the major series of papers on the mathematical theory of natural selection.

Darwin, Wallace & Patrick Matthew: Who's Ideas on Evolution Came First? 

Patrick Matthew (1790-1874) was a Scottish landowner with a keen interest in politics and agronomy who also came up with the concept of 'evolution by natural selection' 27 years before Charles Darwin did.Matthew's version of evolution by natural section captures a valuable aspect of the theory that isn't so clear in Darwin's version - namely, that natural selection is a deductive certainty

Darwin Day resolution introduced in Arizona legislature 

State Representatives Sherwood and Rios introduced a resolution in the Arizona House proclaiming February 12, 2015 as International Darwin Day in Arizona.   The resolution states: Whereas, February 12, 2015 is the 206th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin; and Whereas, Charles Darwin is recognized for the discovery of natural selection as the mechanism by

Play the evolution game 

New ELI today 'How many Beany Beetles? - the evolution game; investigating evolution by adaptation and natural selection' Pupils can:• appreciate that, because the green Beany Beetles are better camouflaged than the brown, they will be less likely to be eaten by the birds;• suggest that by being green, the Beany Beetles have adapted to their environment;• realise that this adaptation will

Published This Day (1859): The Origin of The Species 

My Greatest Adventure #68 From Today In Science History: In 1859, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published in England to great acclaim. In this groundbreaking book by British naturalist Charles Darwin, he argued that species are the result of a gradual biological evolution in which nature encourages, through natural selection, the propagation of those species

Died This Day: Alfred Russel Wallace 

Wallace (Jan. 8, 1823 – Nov. 7, 1913) was a British naturalist and biogeographer. He was the first westerner to describe some of the most interesting natural habitats in the tropics. He is best known for devising a theory of the origin of species through natural selection made independently of Darwin. Between 1854 and 1862, Wallace assembled evidence of natural selection in the Malay

Nature Adores a Hybrid 

Does human-induced hybridization have long-term genetic effects? Empirical testing with domesticated, wild and hybridized fish populations. 2014. Evolutionary Applications Natural selection minimizes genetic effects of human-induced hybridization, Concordia University study shows.

In Darwin's Footsteps: A Book On The Galapagos Daphne Major Finches 

Years ago I read Jonathan Weiner's excellent book The Beak Of The Finch. He describes the work of Peter and Rosemary Grant on the finches of Galapagos Islands, a place which proved to be such an inspiration for another aspiring naturalist in the 1830's. The Grants studied for decades evolution of finch populations, observing in them natural selection in action. Now they have written their

Natural Selection And Punctuated Equilibrium 

A reader asks- I am still curious as to the mechanism and speed with which evolution by natural selection itself happened, like was it "punctuated equilibrium" or was it a slow and steady (continuous) mode of evolution, or was it a combination of the two, or some altogether third process. Not many programs discuss this unfortunately.. I left a short answer in a comment. Some

Neil deGrasse Tyson's Cosmos On Evolution 

This past Sunday in India the second episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson's Cosmos was broadcast on National Geographic. The title was "What Molecules Can Do" and it was all about the evolution of life on earth. I quite enjoyed it. .. Just a couple of quibbles. Dog evolution was showcased as an example of artificial selection which then Dr. Tyson used to argue for the efficacy of natural

Cosmos Part Two Tonight- The Things That Molecules Do… 

Tonight’s episode talks about the past great extinctions, life, and natural selection. In other words the things that simple molecules can do in 13,000 million

Not Just a Puppet! The Animated Life Of Alfred Russel Wallace 

Have you seen this documentary? The Animated Life Of A.R. Wallace. Produced by Flora Litchman and Sharon Shattuck and narrated by George Beccaloni of the  Natural History Museum London and Andrew Berry of Harvard University, it celebrates the life and work of Alfred Russell Wallace who along with Charles Darwin discovered the principles of evolution through natural selection in the mid

Cambrian Explosion in Arthropods 

The incredible burst of innovation in animals' body plans and habits during the Cambrian explosion, between 540 and 520 million years ago, can be explained by a reasonable uptick in evolutionary rates. The discovery, based on the first rigorous estimates of early evolutionary rates in arthropods, shows that evolution's "big bang" is compatible with natural selection as Darwin envisioned

Were the Canines of Sabre Tooth Carnivores Sexually Selected for? 

Canine Evolution in Sabretoothed Carnivores: Natural Selection or Sexual Selection? Authors: 1. Marcela Randau (a) 2. Chris Carbone (a) 3. Samuel T. Turvey (a) Affiliations: a. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom Abstract The remarkable elongated upper canines of extinct sabretoothed carnivorous mammals have been the subject