Big Think The history of natural selection, in 7 minutes | Paul Nurse
Oct 31, 2025
Join Nobel laureate Paul Nurse, a British biochemist renowned for his work on cell cycle regulation, as he delves into the elegant concept of evolution by natural selection. He discusses how Darwin's theory demonstrates that complexity can arise without a designer and highlights the genetic links between all living organisms. Nurse raises compelling questions about our shared ancestry and the responsibilities it entails toward the environment. This episode is a thought-provoking exploration of life’s connections and the beauty of evolution.
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Natural Selection Explains Design Without A Designer
- Charles Darwin supplied the mechanism (natural selection) explaining how species change over time without a designer.
- Natural selection selects heritable differences that give reproductive advantage and reshape populations over generations.
Genes, Variation, And Selection Drive Evolution
- Evolution works because organisms inherit variable traits determined by hereditary material and genes control cellular properties.
- If a variation increases survival or offspring, it becomes more common and drives evolutionary change.
Red vs Yellow Coat Model
- Nurse uses a simple example of single-celled organisms with red or yellow coats to illustrate selection.
- If predators eat red-coated cells, a mutation to yellow allows survivors to take over the population.