Evolution, two recent discoveries, and how there remain more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy

Scientists discover a new cell that lives like a virus and a new rule of life that can best be seen as the opposite of a regular rule, introducing chaos into the operation of a cell at a fundamental level. Scientists like tidy groupings, where you are either in or you’re out.  At least since… Continue reading Evolution, two recent discoveries, and how there remain more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy

Our brains might have more in common with an octopus than we’d like to believe, suggesting that famed evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ new paradigm is correct

Almost everyone knows that an octopus is much smarter than we would expect for a boneless creature that lives in the ocean, but next to no one expected they would achieve their intelligence using some of the same genes and chemical processes we do. Octopi and their cephalopod cousins have long been regarded as unusually… Continue reading Our brains might have more in common with an octopus than we’d like to believe, suggesting that famed evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ new paradigm is correct

I am a neuron in the human brain, almost the same as that found in a lowly roundworm

Whether you have heard of Caenorhabditis elegans, your own body and mind work much the same way.  Essentially, your brain is C elegans’ times 331,125,828 or so, having neurons that look both inward and outward, reflecting even upon themselves over and over and over again. I am one of those neurons. I am a neuron… Continue reading I am a neuron in the human brain, almost the same as that found in a lowly roundworm

I am a dire wolf, newly born into this world, or am I?

I am part creation of modern science, part living legend, having not walked the Earth for more than 10,000 years. I also pose an interesting biological question, one scientists have been debating for years and one which has no clear answer... I am a dire wolf, newly born into this world.  I am part creation… Continue reading I am a dire wolf, newly born into this world, or am I?

The origins of evolutionary complexity

For the first time ever, scientists observe a doubling in the size of a genome with an immediate evolutionary advantage, solving a longstanding riddle that goes back to Darwin himself, and proving that complexity can arise spontaneously and persist through the generations. Ever since Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species on November 24,… Continue reading The origins of evolutionary complexity

Are we nothing more than massive colonies of self-replicating viruses traveling through time?

The legendary biologist Richard Dawkins returns to evolutionary theory with his third and fourth big idea, ushering in a true paradigm shift in how we view ourselves, the world, and the DNA that builds bodies to interact between the two. Imagine if you can, extracting the DNA of an ancient eukaryotic cell, the earliest complex… Continue reading Are we nothing more than massive colonies of self-replicating viruses traveling through time?

Evolution: Three new studies highlight the marvelous contradictions between preserved forms and new innovations that support complex life on Earth

We, indeed all life on Earth, are as ancient as we are new, as grandly complex as we are simple.  Indeed, it is fair to say that complex life wouldn’t exist at all without this contradiction. The mammalian ear is significantly more complex than our bird and lizard cousins in the vertebrate family.  Rather than… Continue reading Evolution: Three new studies highlight the marvelous contradictions between preserved forms and new innovations that support complex life on Earth

Progressives have officially killed science for their own political purposes

Scientists now champion censorship and cancel culture, scientific publications are reduced to political polemics with no scientific value while claiming their unique expertise is relevant anywhere they see fit.  Science died in 2020.  Now, they want to bury it so deep it might  never be found again. Future historians will likely look back on the… Continue reading Progressives have officially killed science for their own political purposes

Dogs rule the world, from essential worker to best friend and now master of their domain

Dogs began their descent from wolves some 130,000 years ago when an enterprising pack discovered a new source of food and warmth ripe for exploitation.  Today, there is little doubt who is in charge in most households, as canines have transitioned from essential workers for hunters and farmers to loveable, furry, spoiled parasites, doted over… Continue reading Dogs rule the world, from essential worker to best friend and now master of their domain

The entire “Tree of Life” is online after the idea was first proposed over 200 years ago, and it’s a humbling, interactive experience open to everyone

Meet the “Google Earth of Biology,” the OneZoom Explorer, recently launched by the Imperial College of London.  This interactive, online experience maps the connections between 2.2 million living species in a visual, searchable format, including over 85,000 images.  Yes, the Tree of Life is now online, fulfilling a quest of over two centuries, allowing you… Continue reading The entire “Tree of Life” is online after the idea was first proposed over 200 years ago, and it’s a humbling, interactive experience open to everyone