The Pattern... The wind was flapping a temple flag. Two monks were arguing about it. One said the flag was moving; the other said the wind was moving. Arguing back and forth they could come to no agreement.  The Sixth Patriarch said, “It is neither the wind nor the flag that is moving. It is your mind that is...

Eusociality and a blow to kin selection... A new paper hit the internet today. “The Evolution of Eusociality” by Martin Nowak, Corina Tarnita, and E.O. Wilson re-frames an old evolutionary question and strikes a blow in an increasingly heated debate. Eusociality is when individual organisms act as a collective reproducing unit. The...

Is a new mode of evolution emerging?... Evolutionary theorist Susan Blackmore argues in the New York Times (and elsewhere) that a new form of evolution is emerging, based on the replication of digital information. This would be the third mode of evolution that we humans are aware of. The first is, obviously, the biological evolution of life. ...

The Apprentice, Round 2... I have been overwhelmed by the quality of applicants for the apprenticeship! In order to give both you and me a better idea of the fit (which is just as important as your personal skillz) I have five projects for you to complete.  To be true to the nature of the job — and so I can learn what I need to...