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Evolution is evolving: 13 ways we must rethink the theory of nature

Do species really exist? Are genes destiny? Do only the fittest survive? Can we shape or stop evolution? New insights into nature are providing surprising answers, and a glorious new picture of life’s complexity

By Michael Le Page, Colin Barras, Richard Webb, Kate Douglas and Carrie Arnold

23 September 2020

Our modern conception of evolution started with Charles Darwin and his idea of natural selection – “survival of the fittest” – to explain why certain individuals thrive while others fail to leave a legacy. Then came genetics to explain the underlying mechanism: changes in organisms caused by random mutations of genes.

Now this powerful picture is changing once more, as discoveries in genetics, epigenetics, developmental biology and other fields lend a new complexity and richness to our greatest theory of nature. Find out more in this special feature.

1 GENES AREN’T DESTINY

The principle of genetic plasticity

IN 1990, an international group…

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