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Improbable destinies : how predictable is evolution?
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Improbable destinies : how predictable is evolution?

by Jonathan Losos, Marlin Peterson

This work explores the debate between evolutionary predictability and chance by examining instances of convergence and contingency. It details modern experimental research on diverse animal species to illustrate how rapidly populations can adapt to their environments.

Accession 12657 ISBN 9780241201923 Publisher Allen Lane
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Animals Biology Life Sciences Science
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position_updated_at
2026-06-01 16:40
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name→ title
Improbable destinies : how predictable is evolution?
vernon_id
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12657
vernon_slug
improbable-destinies-how-predictable-is-evolution-jonathan-b-losos-illustrated-by-marlin-peterson

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location_name
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isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
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Descriptive

production_date
2017
object_type
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brief_description
Convergence suggests that evolution is predictable, and if we could replay the tape of life, we would get the same outcome. But there are also many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change - a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze - caused evolution to take a completely different course. So are we humans, and all the plants and animals in the world today, inevitabilities or evolutionary freaks? What role does chance play in evolution? And what could it tell us about life on other planets? In Improbable Destinies, renowned researcher Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. Evolution can occur far more rapidly than Darwin expected, which has opened the door to something that was previously thought impossible: experimental studies of evolution in nature. Drawing on his own work with anole lizards on the Caribbean islands, as well as studies of guppies, foxes, field mice and others being conducted around the world, Losos reveals just how rapid and predictable evolution can be.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Jonathan Losos, Marlin Peterson
tags→ tags
Science, Life sciences, Evolution (Biology), Biology, Vertebrates, Chordata, Animals, Adaptation (Biology), Reptiles, Exobiology
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