A TVOL interview with philosopher Kim Sterelny: A conversation about the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

by David Sloan Wilson & Kim Sterelny

David Sloan Wilson of This View of Life (TVOL) interviews Kim Sterelny, one of the world’s most prominent philosophers of biology. Sterelny has served as editor of the journal Biology & Philosophy since 2000 and his books include: Sex and Death: An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology; Thought in a Hostile World: The Evolution of Human Cognition; Dawkins vs. Gould:

Ecological development and adapting to change

by Sonia E Sultan

As in many reptiles, the sex of leopard geckos is determined not by chromosomes, but by the environment. Hatchlings will develop into either males or females depending on the temperature they experience as incubating eggs. Sex isn’t hard-wired because the key genes involved in gonad differentiation are up- and down-regulated by temperature, so a fairly

Why do we need an EES?

by Massimo Pigliucci

Do we need an Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES)? Back in 2007 I argued for a positive answer in a paper published in Evolution. A few years later, with my colleague Gerd Müller, I co-edited an entire volume to attempt to map the territory of what an EES would look like. And now, with this blog

Human influences on evolution: Theme issue

by Erik I Svensson

Niche construction refers to a process by which organisms modify their environments through their evolved traits, which in turn can feed back on the organisms themselves by modifying the selection processes they experience. Although the evolutionary importance and consequences of such niche construction is still debated, few biologists would deny its existence. The classical example

Mum’s microbes are important for dung beetle development

by Katrina J Falkenberg

An animal’s microbes not only help it to digest food, absorb nutrients and fight disease, they are also important during normal development. Researchers at Indiana University have shown that the collection of microbes passed from a beetle mother to her offspring (the maternal microbiome) is critically important for development of beetle larvae and their resistance

Introducing EES Update

by Kevin N Laland & Tobias Uller

It is a privilege to study evolution in this tremendously exciting era. New ideas and data are flooding in and, to many of us, the findings are both exhilarating and challenging. Evolutionary biology has never been more vibrant. At the same time, the very nature of the scientific process is changing. Social media is