In this video, Derek Muller dives into “the most controversial idea in biology”: that genes behave as selfish replicators driving evolution. He kicks off with a cheeky explanation of why poop smells bad, then journeys through origin-of-life experiments (thanks to Szostak and Sutherland), gene mutations, and hands-on simulations of evolution. Along the way, he unpacks natural selection, heritability, kin selection, and the core thesis of Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene.
By the end, you’ll see evolution as a grand simulation—one where genes compete, cooperate with relatives, and shape every living thing (including you). It’s a fast-paced, visually engaging tour that turns decades of research into a playful, mind-bending narrative.
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