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Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.
Theodosius Dobzhansky
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Biological concepts are best understood through the lens of evolutionary theory.

The quote by Theodosius Dobzhansky emphasizes that understanding biological processes and diversity is fundamentally tied to the principle of evolution. It suggests that without considering evolution, the complexities of biology could appear disconnected and perplexing, highlighting evolution as a unifying theme in biological science.

Themes

BiologyEvolutionScienceUnderstandingTheory

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on evolutionary biology, this quote could serve to emphasize the importance of evolution in understanding living organisms.

More from Theodosius Dobzhansky

I am a creationist and an evolutionist. Evolution is God's, or Nature's method of creation. Creation is not an event that happened in 4004 BC; it is a process that began some 10 billion years ago and is still under way.
Theodosius DobzhanskyRead
Evolutionary plasticity can be purchased only at the ruthlessly dear price of continuously sacrificing some individuals to death from unfavourable mutations. Bemoaning this imperfection of nature has, however, no place in a scientific treatment of this subject.
Theodosius DobzhanskyRead

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