Classic debates concerning the extent to which scientists can predict evolution have … See more

Prediction is a core component of the sciences. However, evolutionary biology is often portrayed as a descriptive or historical science, rather than a predictive one1,2,3. Nonetheles… See more

The examples in Box1 illustrate how data limits in even well-studied systems can mediate the extent to which scientists can predict evolution. However, rather than dampenin… See more

In conclusion, although collecting sufficient data for prediction may often represent a formidable challenge, we argue that it is not an insurmountable one. With creative application … See more

The authors thank T. Reimchen for years of discussion that influenced the development of the ideas presented here. The work was funded by a grant from the European Research … See more