Rockefeller University

Program for the Human Environment

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DNA barcodes and Darwin

Our paper, “Why should mitochondria define species?“, is published open access in Human Evolution 2018; 33:1-40. It recently received a lot popular press attention claiming our work supports creationist views. This interpretation of our work is wrongheaded.

Our study is grounded in and strongly supports Darwinian evolution, including the understanding all life has evolved from a common biological origin over several billion years. Our study follows mainstream views of human evolution. We do not propose there was a single “Adam” or “Eve”. We do not propose any catastrophic events. We encourage interested persons to read our original article, not the recent press commentary.

National Geographic on eDNA

An article by Steve Leahy for National Geographic about our National Conference on Marine Environmental DNA 

New DNA tool ‘changes everything in marine science’

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/12/edna-environmental-dna-counts-fish-changes-marine-science/

Also in the news net:

Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Newsletter

Leading Practitioners Of eDNA Science Gather To Discuss New Tool’s Possibilities

cbbulletin.com

Thanks to every one of the 100 participants.  It was thrilling for all!

Also a good story in the Martha’s Vineyard Times about Linda Fairstein’s new book in which kids collect eDNA on Martha’s Vineyard.

And in the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette: Swimming With the Fishes, Naming Them Too,  Monday, December 3, 2018 – 1:58pm.

 

 

National Conference on Marine eDNA

Today begins our National Conference on Marine Environmental DNA.

A press release describes the purposes and previews some findings.

The meeting is part of the continuing Monmouth University-Rockefeller University Marine Science and Policy Initiative.

We are exploring the marine waters of New York City and New Jersey with eDNA.  Some of our work is posted here

Mt paper supports Darwinian evolution

The article Why should mitochondria define species?
Stoeckle M.Y., Thaler D.S.
is grounded in and strongly supports Darwinian evolution, including the understanding all life has evolved from a common biological origin over several billion years.

The study follows mainstream views of human evolution. We do not propose there was a single “Adam” or “Eve”. We do not propose any catastrophic events.

Remembrances, passing of Jeannette Aspden

The passing on 30 September 2018 in Washington DC of Jeannette Aspden, colleague from IIASA and the Carnegie Commission, elicits a brief written tribute.   Celebrations and remembrances of our colleagues have accumulated over the years, and we re-post them here.

Vera Alexander  (Remembrance 2023)

Jeannette Aspden (Remembrance 2018)
Robert Herman (In Memory of Robert Herman, 1997)

Robert Kates (The Classification of Robert Kates, 2018)
Alexander Keynan (The Germination of Alexander Keynan, in memoriam, 2013)

Janusz Kindler (Remembrance, 2021)

Joshua Lederberg (In memoriam, 2008)
Joshua Lederberg (A Tribute to the Foresight of Joshua Lederberg, 2009)
Thomas F. Malone (Tom Malone here [poem], 1984)

Andrew W. Marshall, Andrew Marshall and Classics (remembrance, 2019)

Rodney Nichols (2018)
William A. Nierenberg (Memorial Tribute, 2000)

William D. Nordhaus (Getting to know Bill Nordhaus and Climate, 2019)

Fan and Don Ogilvie (“It was fruit“, poem celebrating our friendship)

Arthur L. Singer, Jr. (Old Friends,  A Remembrance, 2020)
Chauncey Starr (A 90th Birthday Tribute, 2002)

Oleg F. Vasiliev, 1925-2017 (scroll to second entry past Beck tribute)
Paul E. Waggoner (Thriving Thrift: On the Occasion of Paul Waggoner Appreciation Day, 2013)
Robert M. White (Portrait of Robert M. White in the style of Gertrude Stein, 1979)

Norton Zinder (A Remembrance of Norton Zinder, 2012)

Census of Marine Life, for a personal view of the program, read Jesse’s poem, The Census of Marine Life is about the total richness of the sea, the foreword to Life in the World’s Oceans: Diversity, Distribution, and Abundance, A. McIntyre (ed.), Wiley-Blackwell, 2010

Nordhaus Nobel

William Nordhaus today earned the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his pioneering work on climate change.  Hooray for Bill!

Jesse first encountered Bill’s work in the late 1970s, started a magazine file of it, and retains to this day first editions of the classic inventive papers from 1975, Can We Control Carbon Dioxide?, and 1977, Strategies for the Control of Carbon Dioxide, and others that followed (see photo below).

Jesse served as a research assistant to Bill during the 1981-1983 Carbon Dioxide Assessment Committee of the National Academy of Sciences and co-authored with him the 1983 paper, JH Ausubel, WD Nordhaus. A review of estimates of future carbon dioxide emissions in Changing climate: Report of the carbon dioxide assessment committee, pp. 153-185, National Academy Press, Washington DC 1983.

Passing of John Fisher of Fisher-Pry substitution model

We note with sadness learning of the passing of John C. Fisher on 2 May 2018 at age 98.  With Robert Pry, John Fisher developed the classic A simple substitution model of technological change JC Fisher, RH Pry – Technological Forecasting and Social Change 3, pp76-88, 1971.  Much of our work  (especially by Perrin Meyer, Jason Yung, and David Burg) has built on the Fisher-Pry model, culminating in the software package Loglet Lab 4.

The interesting account of John’s life and career by his family would have been more complete if it included discussion of the substitution model.  The General Electric Corporation research labs have made extraordinary contributions.