Recommended whenever DNA testing, CRISPR or bioweapons come up, often as the talk that made commenters decide to keep their DNA out of databases.
Topics › Life Sciences, Mind & Health
The best evolution & genetics videos, according to Hacker News
56 videos about evolution & genetics that Hacker News commenters keep pointing each other to, ranked by how many separate months they were recommended. Part of Life Sciences, Mind & Health.
HN commenters reach for it constantly as an approachable explanation of why cooperation and reciprocity are rational strategies.
Recommended whenever people want to see the mechanical, jostling reality of molecular biology, which many find awe-inspiring.
HN keeps citing it as the standard example of accessible DIY gene engineering and self-experimentation, in threads on gene therapy, CRISPR and biohacking.
Frequently linked as a mind-blowing visualization of how RNA is translated into protein, especially in threads on mRNA vaccines and cell biology.
HN commenters use it as the accessible 20-minute entry point to Levin's bioelectricity research whenever regeneration or cell signaling comes up.
HN returns to it as the canonical footage of persistence hunting in threads about human endurance running and evolution.
Recommended as a clear, authoritative lecture series on plausible origin-of-life theories.
HN recommends it as the full account of the lab mice issue and evolutionary tradeoffs between cancer and longevity, despite its length.
HN links it as a visually striking demonstration of evolution and antibiotic resistance happening in days.
HN recommends it as an entertaining four-minute introduction to evo-devo that works even for people who dislike the original song.
HN commenters recommend it for the sense of perspective it gives on deep time and how brief human history is.
HN commenters most often cite it as a thorough, well-sourced debunking of The Bell Curve and of popular IQ claims.
Pointed to repeatedly in gender-in-tech threads, especially around the Google memo, as a science-based treatment of sex differences.
Cited as an excellent entry point to Dennett's thinking on minds, memes and competence without comprehension.
Recommended in game-theory and cooperation threads, with the whole lecture series endorsed.
HN recommends it in depression threads as a practical, non-medication approach with concrete takeaways.
HN links it in threads about athlete body types, sports technology and record-breaking as a relevant, counter-intuitive explanation.
Recommended for its account of competence without comprehension, relevant to evolution and to debates about AI.
Recommended as a nuanced, up-to-date account of human prehistory from a leading researcher in ancient DNA.
HN commenters push it as an example of Levin's talks, which they think deserve far more attention.
HN recommends it as part of Primer's strong series of evolution and emergence simulations.
Cited in discussions of perception, consciousness and what is real, though some commenters find his conclusions hand-wavy.
Recommended as a good high-level view of Humphrey's book and his argument on how consciousness evolved.
HN recommends it as a classic on why some animals are suited to farming and domestication and others are not.
Recommended by some as a blunt expert critique of origin-of-life research, while others question its claims and length.
Commenters point to it as the best short explanation of X inactivation and why calico cats and some human traits are mosaics.
HN commenters hand it out as a quick, accessible primer whenever CRISPR or gene editing comes up.
Pointed to as a well-cited hour on IQ and genetics whenever intelligence and heritability come up.
HN points to it in discussions of whether a past industrial civilization would leave detectable evidence.
Shared as the author's own hour-long overview of his aging research, though some commenters doubt that the book's claims hold up.
HN treats it as the classic reference for evolutionary simulation and genetic programming, an inspiration for many projects, with notes on evolution exploiting simulation bugs.
HN recommends it as an engaging, brief overview of the RNA world idea.
HN uses it as the go-to rebuttal to irreducible complexity, showing that even simple photoreceptors are useful and stages exist in living animals.
Shared in dog-breeding threads as a snappy summary of the genetic-diversity problem.
HN commenters recommend it as a compact, well-sourced intro to human evolution that even led one viewer to read Sapiens.
HN links it as a long-form entry point to Levin's ideas on cancer, bioelectric signaling and intelligence beyond the brain, though one commenter finds some claims outlandish.
HN commenters point to Nick Lane as an excellent science communicator whose talks on mitochondria and the chemistry of life are worth watching.
HN points to it as the go-to explanation of how police can identify anyone through relatives' DNA tests, in privacy and genetics threads.
HN cites it as a clear, well-made treatment of convergent evolution and crabs.
HN points to it as proof that DIY genetic engineering is feasible and as an example of a rigorous hands-on biology channel.
HN cites it as a glimpse of present-day hunter-gatherer life, for example on diet and teeth, though one commenter calls it flippant and sensationalist.
HN links it as a clear explainer of gene drive when mosquito genetic engineering comes up.
Pointed to as an interesting look inside how consumer DNA testing companies process samples.
HN uses it as the canonical example that evolution is not optimal and can get stuck in local maxima.
Commenters call it the best visualization of how the most common DNA sequencers work, though it predates newer chemistry.
Cited to support the view that human progress comes from networks and social learning.
Cited as a source for the idea that open-ended search can beat objective-driven optimization, though one commenter found parts of it fluffy.
HN references it as the source of ideas like cold exposure and body stress for longevity, though some commenters criticize its claims as overreaching.
HN brings it up as a classic example of evolutionary algorithms, including how the creatures exploited physics-simulation bugs, which parallels metric gaming in AI.
Listed among resources in longevity and anti-aging discussions as a key piece of lifespan research.
HN references it as a vivid illustration of sexual selection and as a metaphor for competitive display.
Referenced as an interesting early example of developing AI through evolution and artificial life simulation.
HN points to it as an accessible presentation of Lane's ideas on life's origins and the rarity of complex life.
Cited as a reference in threads on telomeres, lifespan extension and longevity research funding, mainly for the nutrigenomics and epigenetics material.
Linked as the go-to overview of the long-running bacteria experiment whenever real-time evolution or resistance comes up.
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