[pradocchia]

Barricelli presented a bold challenge to the standard Darwinian model of evolution by competition by demonstrating that organisms evolved by symbiosis and cooperation.

Somehow I thought symbiosis and cooperation was the accepted model, and competition was just a cultural projection. No?

[jal278]

While the mainstream view is evolving (ha..), the selectionist (competition-centric) view has been largely dominant in biological thinking (e.g. Richard Dawkins). It is giving way to a more balanced view of how natural evolution produces innovation.

For example, researchers like Gould stress non-competitive forces like the role of historical contingency, and exaptation [0]. Margulis, who was mentioned in the article, had a theory that much complexity in cells was accumulated through symbiosis -- a theory that was radical when first introduced but was later validated [1]. In effect, one cell would engulf another, but instead of eating the other cell, they would co-evolve together; for example, the mitochondria (cellular power plant) is thought to have arisen from such an event (it has its own DNA).

[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaptation

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Margulis#Endosymbiosis_the...

[trendoid]

You are probably not seeing this but your point needs refutation.

Dawkins model(not his actually but he presented to general public) was not competition-centric. Main idea was gene centric view of life. Competition, cooperation, symbiosis etc all were explained from the genes point of view. The thing to note is, even when we see apparent 'cooperation' between species, at the genes level there is a competition with other gene pools. So the non-competitive forces look so on the surface, but the only thing genes care about is moving on to the next generations and spreading as much copies as possible even if that happens with symbiosis.

Gould on the other hand, was not happy with this selfish view of life(everyone says he had Marxist ideologies which made him a bit bias). He thought of selection as happening at multiple levels, not just limited at genes but also species and individual. This was the main controversy between him and dawkins.

So, to reply to GPs query, yes that quote is sort of incorrect since everyone agreed that cooperation and symbiosis(Darwin too) are very much part of evolution.