We might expect innovations to show up first among athletes. They specialize in new “adaptive roles”: throwing a screwball, tackling punters, holding feet while swimming upside down to music. What mutations have appeared to help out? Did Gaylord Perry have special sweat glands on his hands that allowed him to throw a spitball without artificial lubrication? Did Pelé have mutant bone structures on his forehead that let him send a “header” into the goal? A web between fingers and cow‐like skin on the hand might allow a baseball player to catch balls without a glove — and find reproductive opportunities in every major league town.

What caused the Holocaust? Simple. Having rejected Christian morality, some of Darwin’s followers derived their ethics from evolution with a positive sign.