'Magical thinking' about islands an illusion? Biologist refutes conventional thinking on evolution

ScienceDaily (2010-07-08) -- Exotic island fauna is a product of evolution, but nothing more than one would expect to see by "chance," according to research that shows there's nothing extraordinary about evolutionary processes on islands. A biologist in Israel and colleagues have conducted a number of scientific studies comparing evolutionary patterns of island and mainland ecosystems, and the results refute the idea that islands operate under different, "magical" rules.