Population Wars

August 31, 2015
Historians and scientists both see life as about competition, but it is more about cooperation, says Graffin (Anarchy and Evolution), frontman for the punk band Bad Religion and occasional Cornell University lecturer. In this spirited work, he explains that losers of human wars undergo less "annihilation" than "assimilation." Similarly, in the creation of complex life, he says that what mattered most was simple organisms' assimilationânot annihilationâof one another. However, Graffin makes some sweeping generalizations that lack essential nuance. For instance, he says that our nuclei are probably assimilated Precambrian viruses; our macrophages, assimilated amoebas. Neither theory is widely accepted, yet he grants them the same weight that he gives to the more established notions that our mitochondria are assimilated proteobacteria and plants' plastids are assimilated cyanobacteria. There are other passages that will give specialists pause, and brighter lines should have been drawn between guesses and genetically supported theories. Still, while his speculations supporting his thesisâthat symbiosis is the key driver of complex lifeâare not all fully backed by research at this time, they are always intensely thought-provoking. Graffin's view that complex life is generally more about cooperation than conflict remains controversial among evolutionary biologists, but many of his arguments are intelligent, challenging, and inspiring.

July 15, 2015
While the title suggests another dire warning of a coming explosion in the world's population, in fact, the term "population wars" as used here refers to a historical pattern of populations brought into contact with one another, the ensuing conflicts, and the resulting assimilations. Graffin (co-author: Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God, 2010) is the lead singer and songwriter for the punk band Bad Religion and a lecturer on evolution at Cornell University, where he earned his doctorate in zoology. Both sides of his life are apparent as the iconoclastic storytelling scientist challenges conventional thinking about evolution. The populations discussed range from microbes and viruses inside the human body to American Indian tribes and European settlers in North America-all stories of the persistence of populations, compromise, and assimilation. Human wars, writes the author, are not about victors and the vanquished but rather natural population phenomena. As populations grow, conflict is inevitable, and it is therefore incumbent on us as a species to alleviate its ravages as much as possible. Graffin argues that we must revise our thinking about two concepts: competition and free will. He rejects the idea that competition is a driving force of evolution, seeing evolution rather as the product of symbiotic relationships. As for free will, he writes that humans are the products of genes, embryonic development, and environment but that if we care to, we can, to some degree, make informed choices about our actions. His recommendation: instead of thinking about annihilating our foes or eradicating evil, turn our thoughts to protecting our environment, learn from the natural world how other species have managed to get along, and "become a race of enlightened citizens among the community of other species with whom we coexist." The science lectures are occasionally long-winded, but Graffin's message is challenging, and the professional entertainer shines through.

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