Daniel W. McShea
Professor of Biology
Education
Ph.D., The University of Chicago 1990
M.S., The University of Chicago 1987
B.A., Harvard University 1978
Brandon, Robert, and Daniel W. McShea. The Missing Two-Thirds of Evolutionary Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2020.
McShea, Daniel W., and Robert N. Brandon. Biology's First Law The Tendency for Diversity and Complexity to Increase in Evolutionary Systems. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Rosenberg, A., and D. W. McShea. Philosophy of biology: A contemporary introduction, 2007. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203926994. Full Text
McShea, D. W. “Evolutionary progress.” In Evolution: The First Four Billion Years, edited by M. Ruse and J. Travis. Harvard University Press, 2011.
McShea, D. W., and C. G. Simpson. “The miscellaneous transitions in evolution.” In The Major Transitions in Evolution Revisited, edited by B. Calcott and K. Sterelny. MIT Press, 2011.
McShea, D. W. “Evolutionary Trends.” In Palaeobiology II, 206–11, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470999295ch.44. Full Text
McShea, Daniel W., Steve C. Wang, and Robert N. Brandon. “A quantitative formulation of biology's first law.” Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 73, no. 6 (June 2019): 1101–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13735. Full Text
McShea, Daniel W. “Logic, passion and the problem of convergence.” Interface Focus 7, no. 3 (June 2017): 20160122. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2016.0122. Full Text
Heim, Noel A., Jonathan L. Payne, Seth Finnegan, Matthew L. Knope, Michał Kowalewski, S Kathleen Lyons, Daniel W. McShea, Philip M. Novack-Gottshall, Felisa A. Smith, and Steve C. Wang. “Hierarchical complexity and the size limits of life.” Proceedings. Biological Sciences 284, no. 1857 (June 2017). https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1039. Full Text
McShea, D. W. “Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome.” Evolutionary Biology 43, no. 4 (December 1, 2016): 531–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-015-9323-x. Full Text
McShea, Daniel W. “Freedom and purpose in biology.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 58 (August 2016): 64–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.12.002. Full Text
Smith, F. A., J. L. Payne, N. A. Heim, M. A. Balk, S. Finnegan, M. Kowalewski, S. K. Lyons, et al. “Body Size Evolution Across the Geozoic.” Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 44 (June 29, 2016): 523–53. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-060115-012147. Full Text
McShea, Daniel W. “Bernd Rosslenbroich: On the origin of autonomy: a new look at the major transitions in evolution.” Biology & Philosophy 30, no. 3 (May 2015): 439–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-015-9474-2. Full Text
McShea, D. W. “Unnecessary Complexity.” Science 342, no. 6164 (December 13, 2013): 1319–20. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1245386. Full Text
McShea, D. W., and W. Hordijk. “Complexity by Subtraction.” Evolutionary Biology 40, no. 4 (December 1, 2013): 504–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-013-9227-6. Full Text
McShea, Daniel W. “Machine wanting.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 44, no. 4 Pt B (December 2013): 679–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsc.2013.05.015. Full Text
Pages
Selected Grants
Increasing Complexity: The First Rule of Evolution? awarded by University of Bath (Principal Investigator). 2019 to 2022
Post-doctoral/Graduate Research and Training Program in Philosophy of Biology awarded by National Science Foundation (Co-Principal Investigator). 2004 to 2008
Hierarchical Complexity Trend awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Principal Investigator). 2002 to 2005
The evolution of hierarchical structure in organisms: A test for an increasing tendency awarded by National Science Foundation (Principal Investigator). 2002 to 2005