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ScienceQuiet 8d · day 14

Nature essay argues 'The Selfish Gene' needs updating for modern biology

Nathaniel Comfort reassesses Dawkins' 1976 classic, saying gene-centric view misses epigenetics and organism complexity.

newest coverage 7d agosummary written 12d ago12 pieces24 likes & upvotes2 comments NewswiresMastodonGoogle NewsBlueskyHacker News

What to know

  • Nature published a 50th-anniversary reassessment of 'The Selfish Gene' arguing its gene-centric framework is scientifically outdated and overlooks complexity revealed by epigenetics and modern evolutionary biology.
  • Author Nathaniel Comfort contends the book's deterministic view—treating organisms as passive vehicles for genes—misses decades of scholarship showing how genes, environment, and development interact.
  • Early Mastodon reaction is mixed: some see it as a useful update pointing to recent literature; others argue Comfort overlooked Dawkins' meme concept and may overstate the theory's limitations.

The dispute Whether 'The Selfish Gene' is fundamentally superseded by modern biology or merely incomplete—and whether epigenetics and memes resolve the apparent gaps Comfort identifies. · positions read across 3 posts and comments

some voices

The essay usefully updates readers on how biology has moved beyond pure genetic determinism.

  • “Handy mini-update (and nudge toward some key recent books).”

    Doug_Bostrom · Mastodon ↗
some voices

Comfort misses key parts of Dawkins' original argument (memes) and overstates the theory's failures; epigenetics may solve apparent gaps.

  • “Odd to see Nature publish something that seems to have completely missed the point. And also omitted the idea of the Meme, which Dawkins proposed in the volume after The Selfish Gene.”

    Photo55 · Mastodon ↗

“The implication: that traits such as aggression are hard-wired into people. Fortunately, over the past couple of decades, new tools, fresh models and scholars in many disciplines have begun to embrace the complex reality of biology.”

Nathaniel Comfort, Science historian · Nature News ↗ · Oct 25

Nathaniel Comfort Science historian, Nature essay authorRichard DawkinsRichard Dawkins Biologist, 'The Selfish Gene' author

Nature essay argues 'The Selfish Gene' needs updating for modern biology
nature.com

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in 3h at Oct 25, 7 PM; 12 pieces over 14 days (5 articles · 7 posts) Oct 25, 7 PM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Newswires 2, Mastodon 1Oct 25, 10 PM — quietOct 26, 1 AM — quietOct 26, 4 AM — quietOct 26, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 26, 10 AM — quietOct 26, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 26, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 26, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 26, 10 PM — quietOct 27, 1 AM — quietOct 27, 4 AM — quietOct 27, 7 AM — quietOct 27, 10 AM — quietOct 27, 1 PM — quietOct 27, 4 PM — quietOct 27, 7 PM — quietOct 27, 10 PM — quietOct 28, 1 AM — quietOct 28, 4 AM — quietOct 28, 7 AM — quietOct 28, 10 AM — quietOct 28, 1 PM — quietOct 28, 4 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 28, 7 PM — quietOct 28, 10 PM — quietOct 29, 1 AM — quietOct 29, 4 AM — quietOct 29, 7 AM — quietOct 29, 10 AM — quietOct 29, 1 PM — quietOct 29, 4 PM — quietOct 29, 7 PM — quietOct 29, 10 PM — quietOct 30, 1 AM — quietOct 30, 4 AM — quietOct 30, 7 AM — quietOct 30, 10 AM — quietOct 30, 1 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Oct 30, 4 PM — quietOct 30, 7 PM — quietOct 30, 10 PM — quietOct 31, 1 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Oct 31, 4 AM — quietOct 31, 7 AM — quietOct 31, 10 AM — quietOct 31, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Oct 31, 4 PM — quietOct 31, 7 PM — quietOct 31, 10 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 3 AM — quietNov 1, 6 AM — quietNov 1, 9 AM — quietNov 1, 12 PM — quietNov 1, 3 PM — quietNov 1, 6 PM — quietNov 1, 9 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 3 AM — quietNov 2, 6 AM — quietNov 2, 9 AM — quietNov 2, 12 PM — quietNov 2, 3 PM — quietNov 2, 6 PM — quietNov 2, 9 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 3 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — quietNov 3, 9 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 3 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 9 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 3 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 9 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 3 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 9 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 3 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 9 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 3 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 9 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 3 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 9 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 3 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quiet 1–3
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  1. background

    Critic argues essay misses Dawkins' meme concept and overstates its case — A Mastodon user challenges the essay's framing, pointing out that Comfort overlooked Dawkins' later concept of memes (cultural replicators) and arguing that epigenetics—switches that can be set—may resolve apparent gaps rather than overturn the gene-centric view.

  2. 3

    Science communicator calls essay a useful update toward recent literature

    Doug Bostrom on Mastodon characterizes the essay as a helpful overview pointing readers to contemporary works on genetics, neo-Darwinism, and heredity.

    “Odd to see Nature publish something that seems to have completely missed the point. And also omitted the idea of the Meme, which Dawkins proposed in the volume after The Selfish Gene.”
    — Photo55, Mastodon user · source
    • aylwyn-scally.bsky.social

      Weird and misguided editorial from @theguardian.com on The Selfish Gene. It's not remotely outdated, and the book's 'flaws' appear to be that some people didn't like it and misrepresented its argument. Including probably whoever wrote this; I have my suspicions..

      aylwyn-scally.bsky.socialBluesky8d ago20▲view on Bluesky ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • Photo55@mastodon.social

      Odd to see Nature publish something that seems to have completely missed the point. And also omitted the idea of the Meme, which Dawkins proposed in the volume after # TheSelfishGene , and seems to cover a lot of the allegedly missing surplus over genetics. # Epigenetics , yes, Mendel didn't work out that there were a lot of switches that could be…

      Photo55@mastodon.socialMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    • Doug_Bostrom@scicomm.xyz

      Handy mini-update (and nudge toward some key recent books). # genetics # NeoDarwinism # heredity # teleology https://www. nature.com/articles/d41586-026 -03393-5

      Doug_Bostrom@scicomm.xyzMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  3. 2

    Mastodon users share the essay, highlighting outdated focus

    The Nature essay circulates on Mastodon, with users noting that a gene-focused framework no longer captures modern evolutionary biology.

  4. 1

    Nature publishes essay reconsidering 'The Selfish Gene' at 50 years

    Nathaniel Comfort, a science historian, publishes an essay in Nature News questioning the enduring relevance of Richard Dawkins' 1976 book. Comfort argues that re-reading the work through a modern lens reveals problematic assumptions: that organisms are passive 'vehicles' for genes, that genetic determinism explains traits like aggression, and that the gene-centric view has become scientifically outdated.

    “Re-reading it now, with decades of scholarship in the history of biology under my belt, it seems less benign. The determinism baked into the 'gene's-eye view' in the book troubles me.”
    — Nathaniel Comfort
    1. 4 outlets The Selfish Gene , 50 years on — it’s time for an update

      first by Nature, 12d ago · also The Guardian, Guardian Science, Nature News

      2 more headlines
    2. 1 outlet Daily briefing: The Selfish Gene, 50 years on

      first by Nature News, 13d ago

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 3 · verbatim