Evolutionary biology and chemical geology: a timely marriage

For more than 150 years natural selection has been perceived to be the overwhelming force in evolution. Only in recent decades have we obtained new insights into environmental and physicochemical factors that participate with selection in a synergic way. Far from denying Darwin's theory, such neglected factors put order to the bewildering range of genotypes and morphologies found in living organisms and, more importantly, they place evolution in a planetary context where biology, geology, and chemistry can easily be integrated.