Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, And The Fut... May 2026

In a lab at Michigan State University, researchers have tracked more than 60,000 generations of E. coli . While most colonies evolved similarly, one famously developed the ability to eat citrate—a "lucky" mutation that others missed, supporting Gould's idea of chance.

Losos’s own pioneering work shows that nearly identical lizard species have evolved independently on different islands to fill specific niches (like tree trunks or grassy twigs), a stunning example of predictable convergence. Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Fut...

The most provocative chapter of Improbable Destinies asks whether human-like intelligence was bound to happen. While many adaptations (like eyes or wings) appear repeatedly in nature, Losos points out that many others are unique flukes. In a lab at Michigan State University, researchers

Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution Losos’s own pioneering work shows that nearly identical

Beyond the ivory tower, Losos’s insights have vital real-world applications: