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Commentary

Nature Physics 5, 164–166 (1 March 2009) | doi:10.1038/nphys1208

A quantum of natural selection

Seth Lloyd

In the hundred and fifty years since the publication of On the Origin of Species, much has been made of what Charles Darwin knew and did not know in formulating the theory of natural selection. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the book is that Darwin was able to construct his theory of how physical traits were handed down and naturally selected, despite operating with a demonstrably incorrect theory of genetics.