Traces the growth of theories of eugenics during the twentieth century, focussing on the work of H. J. Muller. Concludes that "Muller's lasting contribution was to write the hereditarian attitudes associated with traditional eugenics and the environmentalist's viewpoint associated with modern sociology to obtain a humane and reasoned approach to…

General intelligence (g) poses a problem for evolutionary psychology's modular view of the human brain. The author advances a new evolutionary psychological theory of the evolution of general intelligence and argues that general intelligence evolved as a domain-specific adaptation for the originally limited sphere of evolutionary novelty in the…

The notion that phenotypic traits, including behavior, can be predetermined has slowly given way in biology and psychology over the last two decades. This shift in thinking is due in large part to the growing evidence for the fundamental role of developmental processes in the generation of the stability and variations in phenotype that researchers…

Educational efforts to incorporate ethical decision-making in science classrooms about current science and technology issues have met with great challenges. Some research suggests that the inherent complexity in both the subject matter content and the structure and dynamics of classrooms contribute to this challenge. This study seeks to…

Presented is an explanation of a non-Darwinian theory of evolution based on the premise that functional differences are the result of many small mutations such as the substitution of one amino acid for another in a large protein molecule. A brief overview of Darwinian evolution and other theories are presented. (EB)

Describes the rapid advance of molecular genetics over the past 20 years that have accounted for the origin of mutations. This research has revealed that variation within species is much greater than Darwin postulated. (Author/MA)

Presents a perspective on evolution which includes an explanation of the textbook theory of evolution, a review of evolutionary theory before Darwin, and an outline of Darwin's early theories. Describes a rethinking of evolutionary theory to include natural selection, conservative selection, discontinous evolution, catastrophism, and the…

Biological evolution can be carried out in the laboratory. With new knowledge available in genetics, possibilities are raised that genetic characters can be transferred in the future to embryos according to a predetermined plan. (PS)

Explores the evidence and reasoning behind the claims of biologists that variations in the genetic code are compatible with the claim of common ancestry. (Author/KHR)

Examines the role mistakes play in the molecular evolution of bacteria. Discusses the interacting physical, chemical, and biological factors that cause changes in DNA and play a role in prokaryotic evolution. (DDR)

Neanderthals, those long-lost cousins of modern humans, will not remain lost for long, at least from the prying eyes of geneticists. Two teams of scientists announced that for the first time they had analyzed DNA from the nuclei of cells preserved in 37,000-year-old Neanderthal fossils. That, they say, lays the groundwork for determining the…