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

The book centers on a legendary scientific disagreement between two titans of biology:

Beyond the ivory tower, Losos’s insights have vital real-world applications: Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Fut...

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. The book centers on a legendary scientific disagreement

Predicting how pests adapt to pesticides is crucial for our food supply. researchers have tracked more than 60

Understanding how bacteria predictably evolve resistance can help us fight "superbugs".

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.