I am a little confused because a prion isnt a complicated living organism like bacteria/virus. So the concept of evolution in this aspect doesnt make sense to me.

Are there any other collectors of Charles Darwin books who would be interested in arranging book swaps by mail?

I’ve been collecting books by Charles Darwin, especially On the Origin of Species, for several years now. It started out as a random thing but gradually turned into an interesting hobby. Now, whenever I travel, I try to bring home at least one Charles Darwin book as a souvenir.

I’ve accumulated a bunch of old and new editions of On the Origin of Species in different languages, and I’d love to connect with other collectors and, if our interests match, exchange books by mail. Maybe this thread will also help other collectors to meet each other.

Hi. I’m a grad student in animal biosystematics. I have two options in front of me: either study fossils to understand the history of life or study genomes. I have an undergraduate degree in microbiology and I really love Paleovirology (the study of endogenous viral elements inside our genome, basically virus “fossils” inside our genome.) it’s a very exciting and a new thing. It definitely has a better job market than paleontology, but that’s not what I’m worried about right now. I’m basically open to anything evolutionary genomics/paleogenomics, but paleovirology feels like it awakens something in me. What I’m worried about if I choose this path, will I enjoy it and continue it? Or will I get frustrated and regret not choosing fossils? Academics jobs are very difficult and if you don’t have enough enthusiasm, you’ll definitely get burnt out. I’m afraid of that. Will I get more joy from studying ancient infections and evolution of immune defenses, than I’d get from studying dinosaurs and giant mammals? Will I get more joy from sitting in a lab and working with computers, than I would get from hunting, excavating and studying fossils from the ground? Are DNA and proteins more interesting than bones and trace fossils? Which one is more interesting: discovering that a certain feature of organisms exists directly as a result of viruses, or the discovering a complete Spinosaurus skeleton? I’m scared of betraying my childhood and teenager dream, but at the same time I’m afraid of not growing and evolving, of discovering things beyond what I used to love, to be adventurous. I’m still following every paleontology news and I always will, does this mean I will never get over them?