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Dennis Venema

dennis-venema

Dennis Venema is professor of biology at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia. He holds a B.Sc. (with Honors) from the University of British Columbia (1996), and received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in 2003. His research is focused on the genetics of pattern formation and signaling using the common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Dennis is a gifted thinker and writer on matters of science and faith, but also an award-winning biology teacher—he won the 2008 College Biology Teaching Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers. He and his family enjoy numerous outdoor activities that the Canadian Pacific coast region has to offer.

Author

BioLogos Advisory Council

BioLogos Voices

Biology

Life Sciences

The goal of this course is straightforward: to provide evangelical Christians with a step-by-step introduction to the science of evolutionary biology.

evolution-as-a-scientific-theory

College/University Professor

Evolutionary Creation

Evolution

Evolution as a Scientific Theory

These lines of evidence would later prod him to consider the possibility that species arise through a natural process of gradual change over time, rather than...

how-darwin-developed-his-theory

History

How Darwin Developed His Theory

We are beginning to see the genetic underpinnings of artificial selection at a genome-wide level, and the results are absolutely in keeping with Darwin’s ideas...

artificial-selection-and-the-origins-of-the-domestic-dog

Scientist/Tech Worker

Artificial Selection and the Origins of the Domestic Dog

I’ve often encountered the misconception among non-biologists that mutations are always harmful, or always remove functions and information.

natural-selection-and-the-human-lineage

Natural Selection and the Human Lineage

Taken together, the properties of DNA match what we observe in nature: faithful reproduction of form, but not perfect reproduction of form. 

the-basis-of-heritable-variation

The Basis of Heritable Variation

…in small populations, drift can have a large impact on allele frequencies from one generation to the next. In large populations, natural selection predominates...

from-variation-to-speciation

From Variation to Speciation

…while errors made by human scribes tend preserve a meaning of some kind...DNA replicating enzymes do not check to see if meaning (i.e. function) is preserved as they copy.

genomes-as-ancient-texts

Genomes as Ancient Texts

If a gene has variation in a population undergoing speciation events, it is expected that some of the time it will assort with a pattern that does not match the species pattern...

incomplete-lineage-sorting

Incomplete Lineage Sorting

bat-hanging-on-tree-web

bat-hanging-on-tree-WEB

Homoplasies can be as simple as single DNA monomer changes, or as complex as the independent reorganization of multiple systems with numerous genes and body parts to converge on a solution.

homoplasy-and-convergent-evolution

Homoplasy and Convergent Evolution

Moths that are merely using a warning sound to advertise their toxicity emit signals in a pattern that does not produce interference with bat echolocation...

coevolution

Coevolution

All living arthropods have a suite of defining characteristics such as a hard external skeleton (exoskeleton), specialized body segments, and specialized appendages. While these...

the-cambrian-diversification-and-assembling-animal-body-plans

Fossils

The Cambrian Diversification and Assembling Animal Body Plans

…the probability that any given fossil species is a direct ancestor of a modern-day species is vanishingly small. Fossilization is a highly infrequent event...

assembling-vertebrate-body-plans

Assembling Vertebrate Body Plans

The placental diversification in the Paleogene is highly interesting from an evolutionary standpoint since niches that were vacated by reptiles were in many cases filled by placental...

evolution-basics-the-placental-revolution

Evolution Basics: The Placental Revolution

For many years, it was unclear if humans were more closely related to chimpanzees or to gorillas, but full genome sequences allowed us to resolve the issue.

evolution-basics-from-primate-to-human

Evolution Basics: From Primate to Human

dna-sequence-dna-helix-web

DNA-sequence-DNA-helix-WEB

Wait just a second, you say–isn’t the evidence strong that modern humans descend from a population that has never numbered less than about 10,000 individuals...

mitochondrial-eve-and-y-chromosome-adam

Adam &amp; Eve

Mitochondrial Eve and Y Chromosome Adam

Language evolution is in fact one of the better analogies for biological evolution, in that it forces one to think of change in the context of a population over time.

how-language-evolution-helps-us-understand-human-evolution

How Language Evolution Helps Us Understand Human Evolution

Amazing as it sounds, in the proper conditions DNA can persist inside bones and teeth for tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of years.

paleogenomics-and-the-tangled-web-of-human-speciation

Paleogenomics and the Tangled Web of Human Speciation

It is not a surprise that a scientific theory will address areas that are poorly understood: indeed, it is expected that theories, as they expand, will naturally have a frontier...

at-the-frontiers-of-evolution-abiogenesis-and-christian-apologetics

Origin of Life

At the Frontiers of Evolution: Abiogenesis and Christian Apologetics

This series of posts is intended as a basic introduction to the science of evolution for non-specialists. You can see the introduction to this series here. In this post we discuss the debate between paleontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Simon Conway Morris over whether evolutionary history is primarily shaped by chance events (i.e. by contingency) or through repeatable events (i.e. by convergence).

at-the-frontiers-of-evolution-contingency-vs-convergence

At the Frontiers of Evolution: Contingency vs. Convergence

Many Christians view evolution as a wasteful, random, inefficient process, which seems at odds with the work of a sovereign God. But is this characterization appropriate?

is-evolution-a-purposeless-mechanism

Educator

Pastor/Theologian

Seeker

Miracles &amp; Divine Action

Is Evolution a Purposeless Mechanism?

Some of the Christian objections to evolutionary creation come from a misunderstanding of what the Bible means when it says “God created."

fearfully-and-wonderfully-made

Being Human

Image of God

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

There is a need to speak out truthfully about evolution, but love and a desire for Christian unity must be foremost when doing so.

speaking-the-truth-in-love

Gracious Dialogue

Speaking the Truth in Love

Written by BioLogos Fellow of Biology Dennis Venema, this series of posts is intended as a basic introduction to the science of evolution for non-specialists.

Evolution Basics

<p>An introductory course on evolutionary biology for interested Christians, written by biologist Dennis Venema.</p>


Evolution Basics

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