Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
What is Evolutionary History?02:35

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same authorSame journal

The Historical Context and Role of Riedl's Systems Theory of Evolution.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same author

On Pachycephalosaurs, Trade-Offs, and the Historical Genesis of Sociosexual Display Structures.

The American naturalist·2026
Same author

Stromal resistance to placental invasion is a derived trait in ruminants.

The Journal of reproduction and development·2026
Same author

Whole-genome duplication shaped cell-type evolution in the vertebrate brain.

Nature·2026
Same author

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the common tenrec, Tenrec ecaudatus (Schreber, 1778), a new model for early placental mammal evolution.

BMC genomics·2026
Same author

Fetal inflammatory signals regulate maternal investment during marsupial pregnancy.

PLoS biology·2026
Same journal

In the Spotlight-Established Researcher.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

Beyond the Classics: The Synergy of AI and Genomics Reveals an Expanded Repertoire of Pigmentation Genes.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

Progressive Cellularization of Blastoderm and Extraembryonic Tissue Formation in the Ant Camponotus floridanus.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

Form and Law - Rupert Riedl's Significance for Morphology.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

In the Spotlight-Established Researcher.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

Testing inferences in developmental evolution: the forensic evidence principle.

Hans C E Larsson1, Günter P Wagner

  • 1Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada. hans.ce.larsson@mcgill.ca

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution
|May 31, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Developmental evolution (DE) scenarios can be rigorously tested using the comparative method and the forensic evidence principle (FEP). This principle states that distinct developmental causes leave unique signatures, allowing for falsifiable evolutionary hypotheses.

More Related Videos

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
09:49

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm

Published on: December 24, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
09:49

Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm

Published on: December 24, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology
  • Comparative genomics
  • Developmental plasticity

Background:

  • Developmental evolution (DE) investigates how developmental mechanisms shape biological evolution.
  • Rigorous testing of DE scenarios is crucial for understanding evolutionary pathways.
  • Existing methods require refinement for accurate hypothesis discrimination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a framework for rigorously testing developmental evolution scenarios.
  • To introduce and justify the forensic evidence principle (FEP) for DE.
  • To provide a method for discriminating between competing DE hypotheses.

Main Methods:

  • Application of the comparative method in DE.
  • Formulation and justification of the forensic evidence principle (FEP).
  • Analysis of proximal developmental drivers of evolutionary change.

Main Results:

  • The FEP, grounded in the symmetry principle from physics, provides a formal basis for testing DE hypotheses.
  • Different genetic developmental causes leave distinct developmental signatures.
  • Detailed analysis of ancestral/derived states and proximal drivers is key to discriminating hypotheses.

Conclusions:

  • The FEP offers a robust approach to falsify DE scenarios.
  • A stepwise examination of developmental drivers is necessary for accurate DE testing.
  • This framework enhances the scientific rigor of evolutionary developmental biology studies.