Viruses are a textbook example of evolution by natural selection

Darwin & Corona Update 12 February 2021

If there is any Evolution textbook published long before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that makes the importance of viruses for evolution and human society clear right from the start, it is Freeman and Herron (2006). Chapter 1 is entitled: 'A Case for Evolutionary Thinking: Understanding HIV'. HIV is a RNA virus, just as SARS. The chapter explains the origin, evolution, transmission, treatment, natural resistance, and vaccination. But, there is more. Chapter 14: 'Evolution and Human Health' discusses Flu virus evolution, the evolution of antibiotic resistance, and how virulence evolves. 

In future editions of the textbook SARS-CoV-2 will undoubtedly replace HIV because it is researched in such unprecedented detail.  

 

Mendels Demon by Mark Ridley was published 20 years ago, but his discussion of the relation between virus mutation rates and genome size could not be more relevant today in the midst of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I added a corona update highlighting his prescient insights: Mendels Demon.

 

 

Carl T. Bergstrom, Lee Alan Dugatkin (2011) 'Evolution': SARS coronavirus is present with schematic genome layout, and two kinds of overlapping genetic code is nicely illustrated (page 342–343). Several pages on viruses in general. See further: Introduction.
 

 

 

Douglas J. Emlen, Carl Zimmer 'Evolution. Making Sense of Life' (second edition 2013): SARS and corona virussen are discussed. An evolutionary tree of the corona viruses is shown in chapter 18 'Evolutionary Medicine', page 609. The data of bat, palm civet, and human viruses are based on the SARS outbreak in 2003. Obviously, the current SARS-CoV-2/covid-19 pandemic is not covered, but much of the discussion in that chapter is relevant for understanding the current pandemic. In the first chapter part 1.2 Viruses: The deadly escape artists the 2009 H1N1 Mexican flu pandemic is well explained with good color illustrations (pp.16-22). Please note a third edition is published in 2019, but I don't know if there is a big difference. 

 

--- new book ---

 

'A Most Interesting Problem: What Darwin's Descent of Man Got Right and Wrong about Human Evolution'

Edited by Jeremy DeSilva.

Princeton University Press. 

150 years ago, in 1871, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man, in which he attempted to explain human evolution, a topic he called "the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist." A Most Interesting Problem brings together twelve world-class scholars and science communicators to investigate what Darwin got right—and what he got wrong—about the origin, history, and biological variation of humans.
The good thing about this book is that the authors have no problem with recognising that some ideas of Darwin were wrong. Darwin is not infallible, only the Pope is infallible.

Charles Darwin (12 Feb 1809 – 19 April 1882 )