In Force of Nature, biologist and legal scholar Owen Jones argues convincingly that understanding how evolution by natural selection works can inform humans\u2019 interactions with their environment and with each other \u2014 and that misunderstanding it can create problems. He cites case studies from a range of fields, including medicine, agriculture and law, to support his position.<\/p>\n
What is the future of intelligence? The answer could lie in the story of its evolution<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n One example he draws on is antimicrobial resistance<\/a> \u2014 one of the most pressing issues in the field of medicine. Humans\u2019 overuse of antibiotics and antimicrobial chemicals is unintentionally creating the circumstances in which resistance to antibiotics can evolve. Yet when people with tuberculosis stop taking their antibiotics before the bacteria have been eradicated from their body, they are unconsciously encouraging antibiotic-resistant microbes. But it is possible to predict and prevent resistance by considering how such behaviours select for the evolution of resistance.<\/p>\n Natural selection also offers fresh ways to understand cancer. Mathematical models can predict how tumour cells will behave when exposed to targeted therapies<\/a>, which eliminate cells that express specific proteins. But removing those cells can reduce the competitive pressure on others, allowing them to grow unhindered and cause the cancer to resurge.<\/p>\n Many researchers once thought that this process, known as competitive release, would mean that targeted cancer therapy would be unlikely to work in the long run1<\/a>. But mathematical oncologist Robert Gatenby and his colleagues have shown that it is possible to balance this dynamic. Killing off just enough cells to stop the tumour from growing and leaving the rest intact can prevent the formation of a resistant population and enable people to live with cancer for much longer than they otherwise would2<\/a>. Similarly, in agriculture, strategies informed by evolution can improve crop yields by avoiding pest- and weed-control measures that select for organisms with resistance.<\/p>\n Evolutionary arms races<\/b><\/p>\n But there are cracks in Jones\u2019s argument. Take, for instance, his discussion of fever. He cites evolutionary biologist Paul Ewald\u2019s work describing raised body temperature as a natural response to infection that is important for recovery. Like Ewald, he suggests that people shouldn\u2019t use ibuprofen and other fever reducers and should instead let the body respond in the way that it evolved to, if it is safe to do so.<\/p>\n The problem with this argument is that the story is more complicated, which even Ewald acknowledges. His 1994 book The Evolution of Infectious Disease noted that many germs evolve to grow well in febrile conditions. And viruses and bacteria evolve a lot faster than animal immune systems do, although there is a perpetual arms race between them.<\/p>\n Rather than adopting a blanket rule for when to treat fever, medical researchers would be better off identifying which germs grow well in febrile conditions and which don\u2019t, so physicians can select the best interventions. If genomic markers<\/a> indicate that a virus or bacterium is likely to grow in the presence of a fever, drugs should be taken to reduce people\u2019s temperatures; otherwise, the fever should be left to run its course.<\/p>\n Consumption of ultra-processed foods has been shown to increase cancer risk.Credit: Sergii Gnatiuk\/Getty<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d41586-026-02313-x_51998672.jpg\"\/)
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