Number of words: 445 From the lofty summit of this mathematical achievement, we had a commanding view of evolutionary dynamics. We could reveal the precise conditions for natural selection to favor cooperation over defection in populations that are structured around sets. One simple conclusion that we could draw from Corina’s work was that the more … Read more

Number of words: 132 Here’s a fascinating—and humbling—social experiment. Select one hundred people at random in New York City and ask them each to list all their friends, so you can figure out their average number of friends. Then, in turn, ask their friends how many friends they have. You will find that the latter’s … Read more

Number of words: 395 Thanks to the heroic efforts of Tina Tang, who scoured texts for examples, we were able to study the evolution of 177 irregular verbs over the past 1,200 years, from Beowulf to The Canterbury Tales to Harry Potter. We grasped something that no one thought could be measured and obtained striking … Read more

Number of words: 900 We can see the ingredients all around us, in the chemical signals that flicker on and off between cells, the waggle dance of bees, territorial calls of various creatures, and the remarkable repertoire of birdsong. There are the complex patterns of moans, cries, and chirps in the songs of whales. There … Read more

Number of words: 479 Language offers a way to take the thoughts of one person, encode them, and insert them into the minds of others. We can achieve that remarkable feat of thought transference without the pain, drilling, and bloodshed of trepanning. If someone has a great idea, it can spread instantly and does not … Read more

Number of words: 735 Remarkably, the colonies cannot survive without their Leucocoprinus fungus and the fungus is found nowhere but in these colonies. They do not do farm the precious fungus on the surface. Instead, they grow fungus in underground chambers that can reach the size of a football. In all, a single leaf-cutter nest … Read more

Number of words: 242 The clever design of crypts is a direct consequence of how tissues are renewed by stem cells, the “parent cells” in the body. This is particularly important because, given how much material we digest, the lining of the colon is forever being replenished. A few stem cells sit at the base … Read more

Number of words: 875 Cancer starts with the origin of a single cheat: this solitary cell has a dangerous mutation and multiplies to form a small lesion. Now a few thousand cells have this mutation. Nothing might happen for years. Or nothing might ever happen at all. If another mutation allows this ensemble of cheats … Read more

Number of words: 341 Multicellular strings of bacteria were born around 3.5 billion years ago. Filamentous bacteria—so named because they form chains—kill themselves to yield precious nitrogen for the good of their sisters. Every tenth or so cell commits suicide for the benefit of this communal thread of bacterial life. Another, quite different kind of … Read more

Number of words: 555 The extraordinary possibilities of evolution are the result of errors in replication. Mutations are critical. If the replication of RNA were error free, and perfect, no mutants would arise and evolution would stop. Nothing would change. There would be no living diversity. So mutations are required for life to emerge. Equally, … Read more