Insight

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  • Evolution : Insight
  • A century and a half ago, Charles Darwin detailed his theory of evolution by natural selection in his book On the Origin of Species. How does this remarkably successful theory apply to life on our planet? How have the scientists of subsequent generations built on Darwin's ideas? And does revisiting the original theory shed new light on the remaining puzzles?
  • 11 February 2009

News & Features

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  • Turkish scientists claim Darwin censorship
  • Science-funding agency accused of removing evolution article - and its editor - from mainstream magazine.
  • 10 March 2009
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  • The other strand
  • Geneticists looked to the human genome to understand human evolution. But it's hard to interpret without considering the inheritance of culture, finds Erika Check Hayden.
  • 11 February 2009
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  • Human nature: the remix
  • People's mindsets are neither fixed by evolution nor infinitely malleable by culture. Dan Jones looks for the similarities that underlie the diversity of human nature.
  • 11 February 2009

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Opinion

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  • Humanity and evolution
  • Charles Darwin's thinking about the natural world was profoundly influenced by his revulsion for slavery.
  • 11 February 2009
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  • Should scientists study race and IQ? NO: Science and society do not benefit
  • In the first of two opposing commentaries, Steven Rose argues that studies investigating possible links between race, gender and intelligence do no good. In the second, Stephen Ceci and Wendy M. Williams argue that such research is both morally defensible and important for the pursuit of truth.
  • 11 February 2009
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  • Should scientists study race and IQ? YES: The scientific truth must be pursued
  • In this, the second of two opposing commentaries, Stephen Ceci and Wendy M. Williams argue that such research is both morally defensible and important for the pursuit of truth. In the first, Steven Rose argues that studies investigating possible links between race, gender and intelligence do no good.
  • 11 February 2009

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Books & Arts

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  • A vision of humanity united
  • A controversial new reconstruction of Charles Darwin's life suggests his family's campaign against slavery influenced his belief that all humans evolved from a single ancestor, explains W. F. Bynum.
  • 11 February 2009
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  • Poems from Darwin's descendant
  • mid the many analyses of Darwin's life and work, a more intimate literary portrait emerges from the poetry of his great-great-granddaughter, Ruth Padel. Her series of poems on his life — six of which are reproduced here — evokes the emotion and drama of the naturalist's discoveries.
  • 11 February 2009
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  • Evolution's challenge to genetics
  • Do conjoined twins and two-legged goats suggest a minor role for genetics in evolution? The evidence is not strong enough to upset the orthodox view, argues Jerry A. Coyne.
  • 21 January 2009

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Research

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  • A burst of segmental duplications in the genome of the African great ape ancestor
  • It is generally accepted that the extent of phenotypic change between human and great apes is dissonant with the rate of molecular change. Between these two groups, proteins are virtually identical, cytogenetically there are few rearrangements that distinguish ape-human chromosomes and rates of single-base-pair change and retrotransposon activity have slowed particularly within hominid lineages when compared to rodents or monkeys.
  • 11 February 2009
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  • Sequencing the nuclear genome of the extinct woolly mammoth
  • A joint US/Russia team of 22 scientists describe what they did to sequence 80 per cent of the mammoth genome, 1000 years after extinction. Stephan Schuster and colleagues used hair from several different species found preserved in the permafrost.
  • 19 November 2008
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  • Mechanism of phototaxis in marine zooplankton
  • Darwin suggested that the eye as we know it today, would have been preceded by a 'proto-eye'. Marine plankton can sense the direction of light using what are called 'eyespots' containing just two cells. Gáspár Jákely and colleagues from Germany believe they this simple mechanism for sensing light provides clues to what a proto-eye might have looked like.
  • 19 November 2008

Resources

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  • Nature Publishing Group collection
  • In his seminal work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Darwin collected his thoughts on what became the most important concept in biology - evolution. In celebration of Darwin's 200th anniversary, journals across Nature Publishing Group are publishing a range of articles showcasing how Darwin's seminal work and ideas have enriched and transformed diverse disciplines.
  • 25 February 2009
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  • 15 evolutionary gems
  • We offer here 15 examples published by Nature over the past decade or so to illustrate the breadth, depth and power of evolutionary thinking. We are happy to offer this resource freely and encourage its free dissemination.
  • 31 December 2008
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  • David Attenborough on Darwin
  • Watch an interview with the renowned natural history broadcaster courtesy of Nature Video.
  • 30 January 2009

• More Resources