Design of Life

These stories update and support the material in The Design of Life supplemental text. You are welcome to use them both for interest or private study and for teaching.

A mind for science features

A mind for science: Why do scientists sometimes ignore warnings that their theories are wrong? (February 24, 2008)
A mind for science: Why scientists need to think critically (February 24, 2008)

African Eve. See mitochondrial DNA

alien life forms. See astrobiology

animal minds

Art produced by animals: Is it really art? (May 3, 2008)
Can animals do math? How much should we believe of what we read? (January 8, 2008)

art - evolution of art

Art produced by animals: Is it really art? (May 3, 2008)

artificial selection

Thoroughbred by design? Mustang by chance? (March 18, 2008)
Natural selection: Tracking the primitive dog (April 10, 2008)

astrobiology

Why SETI hasn't found any space aliens yet (March 15, 2008)

Avalon explosion

Avalon explosion: The dawn of life reveals another intricate puzzle (January 11, 2008)

beefalo

The Tree of Life and speciation: The odd case of the beefalo (January 19, 2008)

big bangs in biology

Avalon explosion: The dawn of life reveals another intricate puzzle (January 14, 2008)
The Big Bang of flowers: An "abominable mystery"? Or an opportunity to really understand? (December 17, 2007)
Biology's Big Bangs (January 14, 2008)

breeding. See artificial selection

butterflies

How did caterpillars start to become butterflies? (December 29, 2007)

Cambrian explosion

The Smithsonian secretary vs. the Cambrian explosion (February 19, 2008)
Cambrian explosion ecosystems closely resemble today's (May 7, 2008) Cambrian explosion. See also big bangs in biology

caterpillars

How did caterpillars start to become butterflies? (December 29, 2007)

common ancestors

Tiktaalik - channelling your "inner fish"? (December 24, 2007)

Copernican myth

The Copernican myth and other science myths: The undead still walk (December 17, 2007)
Is Earth an accident? Or a staging platform for exploration of the universe? (interview with Guillermo Gonzalez, December 21, 2007)

Critical decisions in science features

The Smithsonian secretary vs. the Cambrian explosion (February 19, 2008)

Critical thinking features

A mind for science: Why scientists need to think critically (February 24, 2008)
A mind for science: Why do scientists sometimes ignore warnings that their theories are wrong? (February 24, 2008)

Critical thinking features: Popular science media

Can animals do math? How much should we believe of what we read?
Biology's big bangs (January 14, 2008)
Origin of life: Popular science media solve the origin of life - every couple of weeks (January 23, 2008)

Cutting edge science features

Cambrian explosion ecosystems closely resemble today's (May 7, 2008)
Was Mendel wrong? (February 9, 2008)

debates in evolution

What if the tape of life were replayed? Would humans result? (December 25, 2007)

dog evolution

Natural selection: Tracking the primitive dog (April 10, 2008)
dog evolution
Prehistoric humans: Is Rover's ancestry the stuff of fairy tales? (April 5, 2008)

Earth, its position

Is Earth an accident? Or a staging platform for exploration of the universe? (interview with Guillermo Gonzalez, December 21, 2007)

exobiology. See astrobiology

extinction

And so, good night ... the final curtain (January 27, 2008)

flowers - origin of flowers:

The Big Bang of flowers: An "abominable mystery"? Or an opportunity to really understand? (December 17, 2007)

genetics

Genetics: Environment and lifestyle affect which genes are expressed (May 7, 2008)

Questions in science: Identical twins: Are they really identical? (April 2, 2008)

genetics - Mendelian genetics

Cutting edge science: Was Mendel wrong? (February 9, 2008)

Gonzalez, Guillermo

Gonzalez on intelligent design: Both falsified and unfalsifiable. Howzat? (interview, December 21, 2007)
Is Earth an accident? Or a staging platform for exploration of the universe? (interview with Guillermo Gonzalez, December 21, 2007)

H
horses

Thoroughbred by design? Mustang by chance? (March 18, 2008)

human evolution

Debates in evolution: What if the tape of life were replayed? Would humans result? (December 25, 2007)

human evolution - diet

Prehistoric humans: Is Rover's ancestry the stuff of fairy tales? (April 5, 2008)

Shape of early human teeth fails to predict actual diet, study finds (May 6, 2008)

human evolution - teeth

Shape of early human teeth fails to predict actual diet, study finds (May 6, 2008)

hybridization, hybrids

Hybridization one key to survival (March 1, 2008)
Is hybridization a source of new species? (February 13, 2008)
The Tree of Life and speciation: The odd case of the beefalo (January 19, 2008)

I
identical twins
Questions in science: Identical twins: Are they really identical? (April 2, 2008)
intelligent design - design theorists

Expelled movie Part One Intelligent design hits Hollywood (February 4, 2008)
Part Two Questions? Real journalists ask no questions! (February 4, 2008)
Part Three Doubts? Real scientists never have doubts! (February 4, 2008)

intelligent design - falsifiability

Gonzalez on intelligent design: Both falsified and unfalsifiable. Howzat? (interview with Guillermo Gonzalez, December 21, 2007)

issues in science

The mind-body problem: Why is it a problem? (March 15, 2008)

JKL
junk DNA

Junk DNA: From "sea of nonsense" to increasingly "biologically important" (May 7, 2008)

living fossil

Molecular clock: Living fossil tuatara surprises scientists: Evolves quickly without changing (April 21, 2008)

M
malaria

Mutation protects against malaria - at a steep cost (May 6, 2008)

mathematics

Can animals do math? How much should we believe of what we read? (January 8, 2008)
Math is hard? But how can we do math at all? (February 12, 2008)

media. See Critical thinking: Popular science media
Mendelian genetics
Cutting edge science: Was Mendel wrong? (February 9, 2008)
mind-body problem

Issues in science: The mind-body problem: Why is it a problem? (March 15, 2008)

mitochondrial DNA

Part One: Our mitochondria: A piece in the puzzle of our origins? (May 12, 2008)
Part Two: What does our mitochondrial DNA say about our human ancestry? (May 12, 2008)
Part Three: African Eve: When pop culture falls in love with science (May 12, 2008)

molecular clock

Molecular clock keeps good time - twice a day? (December 27, 2007)
Molecular clock: Living fossil tuatara surprises scientists: Evolves quickly without changing (April 21, 2008)

N
natural selection

Thoroughbred by design? Mustang by chance? (March 18, 2008)

natural selection - artificial selection vs. natural

Natural selection: Tracking the primitive dog (April 10, 2008)
Thoroughbred by design? Mustang by chance? (March 18, 2008)

natural selection - malaria mutation

Mutation protects against malaria - at a steep cost (May 6, 2008)

New findings in science

Self-destructive palm tree puzzles botanists (February 19, 2008)

number sense

Can animals do math? How much should we believe of what we read? (January 8, 2008)

O
origin of life

Popular science media solve the origin of life - every couple of weeks (January 23, 2008)

PQR
peacocks, and sexual selection

Sexual selection: Does the hen bird really care about the peacock's display? (April 11, 2008)

questions in evolution

Questions in evolution: Animals suddenly appear, and after that nothing much happens. Why? (January 23, 2008)

S
science myths

The Copernican myth and other science myths: The undead still walk (December 17, 2007)

SETI

Why SETI hasn't found any space aliens yet (March 15, 2008)

sexual selection

Sexual selection: Does the hen bird really care about the peacock's display? (April 11, 2008)

speciation

The Tree of Life and speciation: The odd case of the beefalo (January 19, 2008) speciation - hybridization
Is hybridization a source of new species? (February 13, 2008)

stasis

Questions in Evolution: Animals suddenly appear, and after that nothing much happens. Why? (January 3, 2008)

T
teeth

Shape of early human teeth fails to predict actual diet, study finds (May 6, 2008)

Tiktaalik

Tiktaalik - channelling your "inner fish"? (December 24, 2007)

Tree of life

The Tree of Life and speciation: The odd case of the beefalo (January 19, 2008)

tuatara

Molecular clock: Living fossil tuatara surprises scientists: Evolves quickly without changing (April 21, 2008)