My latest column for Seed is now available online. It's an abbreviated summary of how vertebrates make segments (so it's illustrated with a fly…), with special emphasis on the global and clocklike mechanism we use.
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Good catch by Cocktail Party Physics...
Prof Blair Hedges applies genetic error clock techniques to date manuscripts and books!
Boy, was Descartes wrong. His philosophy of duality divided our being into two distinct substances: a holy soul and a mortal carcass. The soul was the source of reason, science and everything nice. Our flesh, on the other hand, was "clocklike," just a machine that bleeds.
One of the common principles used to characterize the rules of growth in developing systems is the idea of allometry. Here, I'll briefly summarize the concept with a few clear illustrations and a tiny amount of simple math.
Evolutionary ideas have been around a long time, at least since the Greeks, and likely longer.
Somehow, your column is always the first thing I read when a new issue of Seed comes in the mail. Lovely article, as always.
Me too! I always read your column in SEED first also. Great article, PZ!
I have to volunteer that I received my first issue of SEED in the mail today! Actually, the August and October issues arrived together, but I'm psyched.
Looking forward to the article, PZ.
Clearly, you should have been involved in that editorial choice, PZ. At least then we would've gotten a bonus cephalopod in the process. ;-)
Wait, they make segments, and not twists in toruses? Why do you hate balloon animals so?