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Natural selection 150 years on

Nature volume 457, pages 808–811 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The theory of evolution by natural selection has prospered in its first 150 years and provides a consistent account of species as highly adapted and rare survivors in the struggle for existence. It now faces the challenge of finding order in the evolution of complex systems, including human society.

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Figure 1: The long tail of natural selection in scholarly work.
Figure 2: Darwin's tree.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AJ, UK

    Mark Pagel

  2. The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, 87501, New Mexico, USA

    Mark Pagel

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  1. Mark Pagel
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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Correspondence should be addressed to the author (m.pagel@reading.ac.uk).

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Pagel, M. Natural selection 150 years on. Nature 457, 808–811 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature07889

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