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Feature Beyond Neutrality—Ecology Finds Its Niche Virginia Gewin rom physics to ecology, one formidable goal of scientifi c Box 1. Neutral Models in Biology Often Spark exploration is determining the forces at work in nature Controversy Fand how these forces organize our world. In trying to Neutral models are not new in biology, nor is a subsequent uncover simple laws, scientists must balance the accuracy and debate about their interpretation. Stephen Hubbell, in fact, complexity necessary to describe essential mechanisms. Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion were suffi cient for almost 200 modeled his mathematical approach after Japanese molecular geneticist Motoo Kimura’s 1968 neutral theory of molecular years, but Einstein’s addition of a fourth dimension of space- evolution, which controversially posited that molecular time was justifi able because it not only increased the accuracy evolution didn’t involve natural selection at all. Once advances and complexity of understanding but also moved physics past in gel electrophoresis noted unexpected molecular variation a descriptive stage. Understanding the patterns of biodiversity in natural populations, Kimura hypothesized that random in a tropical forest or a coral reef, however, has had ecologists