Analyses of adaptation, natural selection, variation, specialization, and whether observed change demonstrates broader evolutionary claims.
24 commentaries in this topic.
Paper: The genetic code constrains yet facilitates Darwinian evolution
A 2013 paper in Nucleic Acids Research by Elad Firnberg and Marc Ostermeier, titled "The genetic code constrains yet facilitates Darwinian evolution," presents a fascinating analysis of the structure of life's universal…
Read commentary: Designed for Change: Why the Genetic Code's 'Evolvability' Points to a Programmer, Not DarwinismPaper: Effects of Darwinian Selection and Mutability on Rate of Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Evolution during HIV-1 Infection
The paper, "Effects of Darwinian Selection and Mutability on Rate of Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Evolution during HIV-1 Infection," investigates the rate at which antibodies evolve during HIV-1 infection. While the…
Read commentary: Antibody Evolution Study Undermines Darwinian NarrativePaper: Diversity and evolution of optically complex eyes in a family of deep-sea fish: Ocular diverticula in barreleye spookfish (Opisthoproctidae)
A recent paper in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society titled "Evolution of the eyes of vipers with and without infrared-sensing pit organs" presents a detailed and integrative study of the viper visual system.…
Read commentary: The Viper's Vision: A Case Study in Designed Diversity, Not Darwinian TinkeringPaper: Evolution of the eyes of vipers with and without infrared-sensing pit organs
A 2019 paper in the Biological Journal of The Linnean Society , "Evolution of the eyes of vipers with and without infrared-sensing pit organs," provides a detailed comparative analysis of viper vision. The study is…
Read commentary: Viper Study Fails to Find Predicted Evolutionary Trade-Off, Highlighting Design InsteadPaper: A GWAS in Latin Americans highlights the convergent evolution of lighter skin pigmentation in Eurasia
A 2019 paper in Nature Communications by Kaustubh Adhikari and a large team of researchers, "A GWAS in Latin Americans highlights the convergent evolution of lighter skin pigmentation in Eurasia," presents a detailed…
Read commentary: Designed for Diversity: How Human Skin Color Points to a Recent Creation, Not Convergent EvolutionPaper: The evolution of insect visual opsin genes with specific consideration of the influence of ocelli and life history traits
A 2022 paper in BMC Ecology and Evolution by Quentin Guignard and colleagues, titled "The evolution of insect visual opsin genes," presents a comprehensive survey of the genetic toolkit insects use for sight. By…
Read commentary: Insect Vision: A Case Study in Common Design, Not Common DescentPaper: A Comparison of Methods to Measure Fitness in<i>Escherichia coli</i>
The Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) with Escherichia coli , initiated by Richard Lenski in 1988, is frequently hailed as a premier exhibit for Darwinian evolution in action. By tracking bacteria for tens of…
Read commentary: The Lenski Experiment: Evidence for Evolution, or Just Adaptive Decay?Paper: Positive Darwinian selection results in resistance to cardioactive toxins in true toads (Anura: Bufonidae)
The 2009 paper "Positive Darwinian selection results in resistance to cardioactive toxins in true toads" by Moore et al. is presented as a textbook example of adaptive evolution. By examining the molecular machinery…
Read commentary: Toad Toxin Resistance: A Case of Adaptive Degeneration, Not Darwinian CreationPaper: Evolution of crab eye structures and the utility of ommatidia morphology in resolving phylogeny
The 2019 paper by Javier Luque and colleagues, "Evolution of crab eye structures and the utility of ommatidia morphology in resolving phylogeny," presents a detailed survey of the incredible diversity of compound eyes…
Read commentary: Crab Eyes: A Showcase of Design, Not Darwinian EvolutionPaper: Fin whale song evolution in the North Atlantic
The study of animal communication provides a fascinating window into the complexity of the living world. In their paper, "Fin whale song evolution in the North Atlantic," Romagosa et al. document intriguing changes in…
Read commentary: Whale Songs: Evidence of Adaptive Programming, Not Unguided EvolutionPaper: Repeatability and Contingency in the Evolution of a Key Innovation in Phage Lambda
A 2012 paper in Science by Justin Meyer and colleagues, "Repeatability and Contingency in the Evolution of a Key Innovation in Phage Lambda," is often presented as a powerful, real-time demonstration of Darwinian…
Read commentary: A Key Innovation or a Fortunate Fluke? Why Phage Lambda's New Trick Fails to Support Grand EvolutionPaper: Evolution of antifreeze glycoprotein gene from a trypsinogen gene in Antarctic notothenioid fish
The 1997 paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Liangbiao Chen et al., "Evolution of antifreeze glycoprotein gene from a trypsinogen gene in Antarctic notothenioid fish," is frequently presented as…
Read commentary: From Enzyme to Antifreeze: A Case Study in Designed Degeneration, Not Unguided EvolutionPaper: Mutation as a Stress Response and the Regulation of Evolvability
The theory of neo-Darwinian evolution rests on the foundational claim that the raw material for all biological novelty is supplied by random, undirected mutations. A 2007 paper by Galhardo, Hastings, and Rosenberg,…
Read commentary: Regulated Mutagenesis: A Designed System for Adaptation, Not the Engine of EvolutionPaper: In the light of directed evolution: Pathways of adaptive protein evolution
The 2009 PNAS paper "In the light of directed evolution" by Nobel laureate Frances Arnold and her colleague Jesse Bloom is frequently presented as a powerful demonstration of evolutionary principles at work. By actively…
Read commentary: Guided Evolution: How Laboratory Engineering Falsifies Darwinian ClaimsPaper: Selection enhances protein evolvability by increasing mutational robustness and foldability
A 2020 paper in the journal Science by Jia Zheng et al., titled "Selection enhances protein evolvability by increasing mutational robustness and foldability," purports to demonstrate how natural selection itself can…
Read commentary: Lab-Made 'Evolvability' Highlights the Power of Design, Not DarwinismPaper: The predictability of molecular evolution during functional innovation
The 2014 PNAS paper, “The predictability of molecular evolution during functional innovation,” presents a large-scale laboratory experiment with E. coli bacteria. By deleting essential genes and watching the bacteria…
Read commentary: Tinkering with a Masterpiece: Why Bacterial Adaptation Fails to Demonstrate Darwinian InnovationPaper: Spontaneous mutations and the origin and maintenance of quantitative genetic variation
The 2016 paper "Spontaneous mutations and the origin and maintenance of quantitative genetic variation" by Wen Huang et al. in the journal eLife presents a meticulous and valuable study of mutation rates in the fruit…
Read commentary: A Fly in the Ointment: Why Spontaneous Mutations Reveal Devolution, Not EvolutionPaper: A dynamical limit to evolutionary adaptation
A recent paper in the bioRxiv preprint server by Matthew J. Melissa and Michael M. Desai, titled "A dynamical limit to evolutionary adaptation," offers a sophisticated mathematical analysis of the interplay between…
Read commentary: Evolutionary "Adaptation" Hits a Wall of Stasis and DecayPaper: Functional Duplication of the Short-Wavelength-Sensitive Opsin in Sea Snakes: Evidence for Reexpanded Color Sensitivity Following Ancestral Regression
A recent paper in Genome Biology and Evolution by Isaac H. Rossetto and colleagues details the discovery of multiple, functionally distinct opsin genes in sea snakes. The authors present this as a rare example of…
Read commentary: Gene Duplication or Designed Redundancy? Sea Snake Vision Fails to Vindicate DarwinismPaper: <i>Prunus mume</i> genome research: current status and prospects
The review article "Prunus mume genome research: current status and prospects" by Fan et al. (2024) provides a detailed and valuable overview of the genetic tools being used to understand and improve the Japanese…
Read commentary: Mei Flower Genomics: A Blueprint for Variation, Not a Story of Unguided OriginPaper: A chromosome level genome assembly of Pseudoroegneria Libanotica reveals a key Kcs gene involves in the cuticular wax elongation for drought resistance
A recent paper in BMC Genomics by Zhai et al. presents the chromosome-level genome assembly of a drought-resistant grass, Pseudoroegneria libanotica . The authors claim their work "reveals a key Kcs gene" that "involves…
Read commentary: Designed for Drought: Why a Grass Genome Reveals Engineering, Not Unguided EvolutionPaper: LIFE‐HISTORY EVOLUTION IN GUPPIES (
<i>POECILIA RETICULATA</i>
): 1. PHENOTYPIC AND GENETIC CHANGES IN AN INTRODUCTION EXPERIMENT
The 1987 guppy introduction experiment by David Reznick and Heather Bryga is a celebrated study in evolutionary biology, frequently presented in textbooks as a direct, observable demonstration of "evolution in action."…
Read commentary: Guppy See, Guppy Don't: Why Shuffling Existing Traits Fails to Explain Evolutionary OriginsPaper: Predicting Microevolutionary Responses to Directional Selection on Heritable Variation
The long-term study of Darwin's finches on the Galápagos island of Daphne Major, conducted by Peter and Rosemary Grant, is widely celebrated in textbooks and popular science as a premier, real-time demonstration of…
Read commentary: Finches on Trial: Why Oscillating Beaks Don't Build BirdsWhat the Paper Claims This study reviews how blind Mexican cavefish ( Astyanax mexicanus ) adapted to low-oxygen cave environments. Researchers compare cave-dwelling populations to surface-dwelling counterparts, noting…
Read commentary: Cavefish Adaptations: Evidence of Design, Not Darwinian Macroevolution