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(R)evolutionary Biology

David P. Barash is an evolutionary biologist and professor of psychology emeritus at the University of Washington; his most recent book is Through a Glass Brightly: Using science to see our species as we really are (Oxford University Press), 2018.

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  • Dec 13, 2020

    The Pandemic Pied Piper

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    What explains the willingness of seemingly sane people to believe that COVID is a hoax, even as their loved ones or they themselves die of it? It's likely Trump is exploiting deeply embeded tendencies in social psychology like those in the medieval German tale. 

  • Nov 20, 2020

    Nuclear Deterrence and Things Left to Chance

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    A beguiling, if horrifying, paradox of nuclear deterrence theory is that the credibility of a nuclear threat requires introducing uncertainty into the equation; one party must convince the other that they just might take a mutually destructive action, making the unthinkable possible.

  • Mar 26, 2018

    Does MAD really work?

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    So far it has due to plain dumb luck.  But eventually, luck runs out. 
  • Mar 6, 2018

    Our Gaslighting Geezer

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    At the end of the movie by which we gained the verb "gaslight" the villain gets his comeuppance.  Here's hoping the story of Trump ends similarly. 
  • Jan 27, 2017

    Dr. Strangelove Resurfaces

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    The bizarre possibility exists that under President Trump, the United States may at last get some leverage out of its nuclear arsenal.
  • Mar 18, 2016

    People are Polygynous

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    Here is some of the evidence (btw, we’re also polyandrous).
  • Oct 10, 2015

    What the Prostate Gland Can Teach Us About War-Fighting

    by (R)evolutionary Biology

    A clue:  The lesson of natural selection is that even mathematically precise systems fall short of perfection. We should keep this in mind as we assess what led to the bombing of a hospital run by Doctors without Borders.