Some more on that snake leg 17 Sep 2009 Lanclet, discussing a Jerry Coyne comment on a Pharyngula post, suggests that the snake actually had ingested a lizard, and the lizard’s leg had punctured the snake. It doesn’t change the point about atavisms, but it does make the case less sexy… Evolution
Creationism and Intelligent Design Tautology 2: The problem arises 23 Aug 2009 After Williams and others had made the comment that fitness is a tautology, it came around that the point needed to be discussed in more detail. One such discussion was by a student of Dobzhansky’s, Richard Lewontin. Read More
Administrative PZombies in Brisbane! 30 May 200818 Sep 2017 So we managed to attract 5 local PZombies (Craig, you are in trouble for not turning up!) on a wet Brisbane night. We had some interesting discussions (which I fear means that others listened to me nonstop) over beer. It’s nice to know that those of us who are in… Read More
Evolution Lateral transfer of genes across the evolutionary tree 18 Jul 2007 In recent years it has becoming increasingly obvious that there is a considerable amount of lateral, or cross phylogenetic, transfer of genetic material. In bacteria, this happens by several mechanisms, such as uptake of gene fragments from cells that have disintegrated, or by mechanisms such as conjugation (“bacterial sex”). Sometimes… Read More