What is Evolutionary biology: Definition and 11 Discussions

Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes (natural selection, common descent, speciation) that produced the diversity of life on Earth. In the 1930s, the discipline of evolutionary biology emerged through what Julian Huxley called the modern synthesis of understanding, from previously unrelated fields of biological research, such as genetics and ecology, systematics and paleontology.
The investigational range of current research widened to encompass the genetic architecture of adaptation, molecular evolution, and the different forces that contribute to evolution, such as sexual selection, genetic drift, and biogeography. Moreover, the newer field of evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo") investigates how embryogenesis, the development of the embryo, is controlled, thus yielding a wider synthesis that integrates developmental biology with the fields of study covered by the earlier evolutionary synthesis.

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  1. Nick tringali

    The Obstetrical Conundrum: Fontanelles & Human Birth Canals

    I want to do a project for my class on the obstetrical conundrum. Which is basically the antagonism of selective pressures on pelvic morphology. I need help to find literature. I want to know if over the course of history, if Human baby's fontanelles increased in size in order to compensate for...
  2. P

    Is there any evolutionary benefit from magnetoreception?

    Some organisms still have magnetoreceptors, what would be the evolutionary benefits of these receptors?
  3. Auto-Didact

    Logic as a dynamical system?

    This thread is a shoot-off from this thread. Assuming some relation between human language and logical reasoning, how would this relate, let's say, to the arrival and evolution of logic in human and animal psychology? I would presume that some logic, for example classical logic, can be more or...
  4. Ygggdrasil

    New group of eukaryotes discovered

    https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hemimastigotes-supra-kingdom-1.4715823 Citation to the paper being discussed: Lax et al. Hemimastigophora is a novel supra-kingdom-level lineage of eukaryotes. Nature. Published online 14 Nov 2018. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0708-8
  5. Non Euclidean

    Other Can a physicist study evolutionary biology? How can I do?

    Hello, I’m an undergraduate physics student. Recently, I recognize that I am interested in evolution and I want to study life’s origin. When I preferred physics, because I want to learn how nature works. Now, I am not only interested in how nature works, also I’m passionate for neuroscience and...
  6. S

    Evolutionary Biology Concept Question

    What are possible explanations as to why variation persists in the natural world despite the effects of genetic drift and directional selection?
  7. M

    Maximizing an evolutionary biology equation (vector calculus)

    Homework Statement For a Gaussian landscape, the log-fitness change caused by a mutation of size r in chemotype element i is Q_i(r) = -\vec{k} \cdot S \cdot \hat{r_i}r - \dfrac{1}{2} \hat{r_i} \cdot S \cdot \hat{r_i}r^2 . To find the largest possible gain in log-fitness achievable by...
  8. G

    Physics Combining Physics with Evolutionary Biology

    Hi all I'm a physics undergrad (rising year) and trying to find some kind of creative outlet for my studies in physics. I'm sort of fed up with the research academic world (at least in SS physics (solar cells) where I am now), I'm not sure if I'd want to go into other standard physics...
  9. narrator

    Explore Evolutionary Biology with Opera Widgets

    For those interested in Evolutionary Biology, you may find this interesting. If you use the Opera browser, you may know about their downloadable widgets. (They had a programming competition recently and lots more were added.) The widgets are simple app's, usually very small in size. This...
  10. A

    Evolutionary Biology Homework: Phenotypic Plasticity vs Adaptive Radiation

    Homework Statement I'm a little bit confused with the terms: Phenotypic plasticy and adaptive radiation, please tell me if I'm correct The Attempt at a Solution Ok, so what I understand is that phenotypic plasticity is basically the ability of an organism (obviously with a fixed...
  11. S

    Bad Religion and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell

    For any of the Bad Religion fans here, Dr. Graffin now has his PhD dissertation from Cornell available. It is in paperback book form titled "Evolution, Monism, Atheism and the Naturalist World-View: Perspectives from Evolutionary Biology". 252 pages. http://www.cornellevolutionproject.org/...
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