Phenylketonuria (fee-null-keet-o-noo-ria), mercifully also known as “PKU” (pee – kay – you) is a disorder in which phenylalanine, an essential amino acid, is not broken down as it normally would be by an enzyme (phenylalanine hydroxylase) and thus accumulates (in the form of phenylpyruvic acid) in the body. Normally, Phenylalanine hydroxylase coverts phenylalanine into […]

Darwin was puzzled by exaggerated traits. (Aren’t we all, really?) For example, why would a widow bird male have a tail so long that he could scarcely fly away from predators? Indeed, speaking of birds:
What a contrast is presented between the sexes by the polygamous peacock or pheasant, and the monogamous guinea-fowl […]

I just read Larry Moran’s definition of a gene.
While reading it I was reconsidering (as I have been for a few days) the exclusion of sequences that are templates for non-coding RNA. That’s what my definition does. I excluded them in my definition because they are part of the system of gene […]

I just wrote a very long semi-ranting comment over on Pharyngula that I decided to put it here as a post to be considered along with Basics: What is a Gene?
MartinCL: Greg, that definition is SO twentieth century. A gene doesn’t necessarily have to encode a protein. What about non-coding RNA genes like microRNAs or […]

The following is my provisional definition of a gene. I’m sure it needs a great deal of work! I am particularly unsure of some of the generalities (or lack there of) across the full diversity of life. (I tend to gravitate in my thinking towards multicelled organisms, then usually the furry or […]

John Wilkins and others have started a movement … to assemble (and possibly cross reference or correlate somehow? … “basic concepts” in evolutionary biology.
For instance, this one: CLADE
And over on Larry Moran’s site, this one on
This is going to get really interesting when we start to fight about the details…
Anyway, I’m […]