Frozen Evolution book

Most biologists and biology students think that evolutionary biology is basically a closed chapter of science. But what if this is not the way things are? What if evolutionary biology underwent a quite fundamental revolution in the 70's and 80's of the past century, following which all the textbooks in this field should basically be rewritten?  >> Read more

Frozen plasticity theory

This theory suggests a mechanism of the origin of adaptive traits in sexual organisms. The classical Darwinian mechanism of the origin of adaptive traits by natural selection can explain the evolution of such traits only under a very special situation, e.g., in a genetically homogeneous population of asexual organisms. The frozen plasticity theory is much more general: It can also explain the origin and evolution of adaptive traits in a genetically heterogeneous population of sexual organisms. >> Read more

Watch out for Toxo! The Secret Guide to Practical Science.

III. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Toxoplasmosis, or a change in behavior?

From the beginning, I encountered the following problem: if there were differences in the psychological profiles of Toxo positive versus negative persons, then it wouldn’t be clear whether Toxoplasma had caused the differences, or whether particular psychological traits made one more likely to be infected. And it’s hard to decide between these two possibilities. Of course, if we were studying animals other than humans, then the solution would be quite simple. >> Read more

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