An eye-opening exploration of natural selection’s power and how it can help human society flourish. Most of us learned about natural selection in our school days and remember the basics of how it drives evolution, plus a few of its everyday implications, like the risks of overusing antibiotics. Yet deep misconceptions about evolution and natural selection abound―even, studies show, among medical students and high school biology teachers, not to mention the rest of us. In Force of Nature , professor of law and biology Owen D. Jones reveals how these misunderstandings cost us opportunities, undermine our goals, and even imperil lives―and shows how a deeper understanding of natural selection is far more useful and powerful than we think. Jones argues that natural selection is not merely a historical process that shaped relationships between species in the past, but an underused framework for navigating today’s most pressing challenges. By sharpening our understanding of how natural selection actually operates―its speed, scale, and profound influence on human and animal behavior―we can make better decisions across a wide range of fields. Drawing on examples from medicine, psychology, and artificial intelligence to economics, agriculture, law, and beyond, Force of Nature demonstrates how evolutionary thinking can open new horizons in cancer treatment and space exploration, create faster machines and more agile robots, and even help design more effective and just laws. Along the way, readers tour some of animals’ most remarkable behaviors, such as the archerfish’s prowess at precision-firing missiles of water and geckos’ ability to walk upside-down―on glass. Enlightening and inspiring, Force of Nature invites us to appreciate natural selection as a dynamic force we can better understand―and harness―to build smarter technologies, wiser policies, and a more resilient future. "This wonderfully accessible book explores how the sculpting power of natural selection explains everything from an amoeba’s ‘decision-making’ process to . . . our human intuitions about morality and justice. A rewarding read." ― Robert Sapolsky, best-selling author of Determined and Behave "Owen D. Jones has a gift for discerning broad connections and powerful forces that are often overlooked . . . and his raw enthusiasm and breadth of knowledge make for a terrific read and refreshing, challenging insights. . . . Force of Nature will allow you to understand and apply the power of one of our world’s most widely influential, yet least well understood, forces." ― Christopher Coons, U.S. Senator "A lucid and eye-opening presentation of the many surprising ways that natural selection can help us understand ourselves and the world we are making." ― Steven Pinker, best-selling author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . . "Natural selection has been called the best idea anyone has ever had. Owen Jones . . . makes the case for how its powers extend far beyond bird beaks and beetles to our brains and behaviors, with myriad implications for medicine, psychology, technology, and the law. Even Darwin would be surprised." ― Sean B. Carroll, author of A Series of Fortunate Events and The Serengeti Rules " Force of Nature explores natural selection and the importance of understanding this powerful phenomenon in making sense of the world. . . . The insights from this book will make a far-reaching impact . . . and bring benefits to humankind." ― Joe Tsai, co-founder and chairman, Alibaba Group "In this consistently engaging and thought-provoking book, Owen D. Jones highlights the countless ways that natural selection shapes our world, showing how a deep understanding of natural selection is crucial for making optimal choices in domains ranging from health to food production to engineering, and presenting compelling evidence of the risks and unintended costs of lacking such an understanding. A masterfully crafted and well-argued book that will impact not only how you think about the world but also how you think about yourself." ― Anthony Wagner, Lucie Stern Professor, Department of Psychology Stanford University "Darwinian natural selection is not merely a process important to academic biologists, but in fact touches our own lives in many ways. In this enlightening book, Owen Jones illuminates the key role of selection in areas like farming, fishing, economics, decision-making, and healthcare, where ‘Darwinian medicine’ is becoming increasingly significant. Force of Nature crucially shows how selection shapes our world―and us." ― Jerry Coyne, Emeritus Professor of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, and New York Times best-selling author of Why Evolution is True "Owen Jones brings decades of hard-won scientific insight directly to you in this remarkably lucid and engaging book. With colorful examples and hair-raising cautionary tales, Jones shows how evolutionary thinking can make us smarter,