Anisotropic Perspectives

These are the three major reasons Olivia Judson gives for not trivializing evolution as an optional component of introductory biology.  It’s a great article, and I’d like to emphasize an additional point: it’s a powerful idea that just works.  Hence the excitement over comparative genomics.  By studying the process of evolution by natural selection on the genetic level (studying the DNA of closely and distantly related species), we can identify parts of the genome that are likely to be “evolutionarily constrained”.  That is, random mutations that mess up traits important for successful propagation are selected out, while random mutations in less useful regions can get passed around.  Why does this matter?  It helps us identify “useful” genes for experimental investigation (genes that could put your life or health at risk if they are spelled a certain way or are put in the wrong environment).