The Extended Synthesis: Something Old, Something New

The eclipse of Darwinism began to end in the 1980s and hangs in the balance today. We need an Extended Synthesis, using “extension” metaphorically. We must extend back in time to recover important aspects of Darwinism that were set aside, and then lost during neo-Darwinism, then move forward beyond neo-Darwinism to encompass new data and concepts. The most comprehensive framework for the Extended Synthesis is the Major Transitions in Evolution. The Extended Synthesis rests comfortably within a philosophical perspective in which biology does not need to be connected with other areas of science in order to justify itself. I am attracted to an older concept in which biology needs a covering law to connect it with the rest of the natural sciences. Darwin implicated a “higher law,” but did not specify it. If we can elucidate that law, the Extended Synthesis will become the Unified Theory of Biology called for by Brooks and Wiley 25 years ago.     

Something to chew on

Foraging for Survival: Yearling Baboons in Africa by Stuart A. Altmann University of Chicago Press, 1998. $70.00 hbk (xii+536 pages) ISBN 0 226 01595 5.     

Doing Something about the Weather

Mealworms, yum yum! Insects are an exciting way for middle school students to acquire science process skills. A teacher eating a mealworm will certainly capture the attention of students, and explaining the common practice of insect eating among people in other countries is a great way to include culture in a science lesson. This article provides the teacher with basic information on: (a) how to set up and maintain a mealworm colony, (b) instructions on setting up an observational journal as well as a sample organizational template, and (c) a number of explorations and activities to do with mealworms.     

Something new under the skin

One-size-fits-all intravenous delivery of biologics may be giving way to alternate delivery routes that enable safer and more efficient drug administration. Michael Eisenstein reports.