A History Of Life

An apparent evolutionary conondrum has been recently solved by the study of some Eocene fossils related to the flatfishes. Matt Friedman of the Chicago University, an expert of fish evolution, has published in a Nature paper his work on the ancestors of Pleuronectiform fishes (plaices and the akin gastronomical delicatessen).

School and University textbooks dealing with evolutionary biology and the founding principles of the theory of natural selection authored by Charles Darwin in 1859, make ample use of such concepts as variability, survival of the fittest, reproductive success, inheritance, frequency within populations. They often forget to explain, however, or altogether do not mention, an ingredient without which there is no ‘origin of species by natural selection’. This factor in evolution was perceived (albeit not definitely: Burchfield 1975, Gould 1987) during the years of Darwin’s own formation as a naturalist, himself having contributed in focusing its importance through some writings that preceded his most important work.