In the beginning...

How to start a blog about plant evolution?

To introduce myself, I'm a researcher in plant evolution, with particular interests in crop domestication, and in polyploidy and transposable element dynamics.  I approach the subject from a deeply-held and long-standing interest in botany, and an almost equally deeply-held and long-standing interest in getting computers to do interesting things.

This blog will be a record of interesting things about plant evolution that I come across from time to time, interesting facts that come from live research projects, and whatever else seems to fit.

I don't take a position on whether plants were/are designed by a superior intelligence, supernatural or otherwise.  I think there are some problems with definitions of superior, intelligence and natural that would get in the way of a serious argument about whether our plants were designed by one.  Having said that, I think that the combined wisdom of a thousand generations of foragers, gardeners, farmers and plant breeders could legitimately be called a superior intelligence.

I do think that variations in DNA and morphology within and between individuals and populations can tell us some really interesting things about evolution, and I think that we are living in an exciting time in the search for knowledge of how recombination, mutation, selection, and genetic drift have shaped the plants our lives depend on.  But enough of that for now ...

I hope you enjoy reading this blog and return from time to time.  I hope you find somethings of interest, and feel moved to add your thoughts.