In traditional population genetics the normal genetic variation,
genetic selection, and genetic drift do not lead to the formation of a
new species without some form of “reproductive isolation”; i.e., in
order to split a single species into two species, the two
subpopulations of the original species must ultimately lose their
ability to interbreed, which would normally maintain their
heterogeneity. However, once separated, natural selection and/or just
genetic drift acting on the normal genetic variation in the two
subspecies will eventually change enough characteristics of the two
subgroups that they can no longer interbreed, which by definition means
that they will comprise two different species. Examples of reproductive
isolation include geographical isolation, where a suddenly-appearing
mountain range or river separates two subgroups; temporal isolation
(isolation by time), where one subgroup becomes entirely diurnal in its
habits while the other becomes entirely nocturnal; or even just
'behavioral' isolation, as seen in wolves and domestic dogs: they could
interbreed, biologically speaking, but normally they do not.
A similar phenomenon can occur with memes. Normally, the population
of individuals having a meme in their consciousness contains sufficient
internal variation and mixes enough to keep a given meme relatively
intact (although it covers a wide range of variations). Should that
population become split, however, without sufficient contact for the
two different subgroups of variations of the meme to equilibrate,
eventually each group will evolve its own version of that meme, each
version differing sufficiently from that of the other group to appear
as a distinct entity.
The Kellerman meme provides an example of this occurring on the
Internet. A search of the web and/or Usenet for the word 'Kellerman'
will turn up many citations, describing at great length the behavior of
a 'Dr. Arthur Kellerman', who, with the willing assistance of the
Centers for Disease Control and the public-health lobby, purportedly
fabricated studies in order to implicate firearms (and by extension
their owners) as a menace to public safety, for the purposes of statist
control of the population. The authors of these pages and postings
describe purported machinations, “junk science,” a subsequent
recantation by Dr. 'Kellerman', and the use of his work by proponents
of gun control.
The original meme of Kellermann and his work on gun-related violent
injury has generated a new meme (“Dr. Kellerman is an evil lying
gun-grabbing enemy of freedom”) by the classic genetic phenomenon of a
deletion mutation. The sub-population involved had strongly negative
attitudes towards Kellermann's work as well as a lack of firsthand
familiarity with his studies and career. Because of the “reproductive
isolation” caused by the total non-intersection of the results of
searches for “Kellerman” and “Kellermann”, the 'Kellerman' meme drifted
even further in the direction of negativity, unchecked by facts related
to the real Kellermann. As this group encounters new individuals of
similar general outlook, they introduce new recruits to the 'Kellerman'
lore only, and go on to produce their own websites and postings
furthering the rapid progress of this meme.
(This phenomenon also demonstrates two other features of memes — the
“meme-complex” (memeplex) as a set of mutually-assisting “co-memes”
which have co-evolved a symbiotic relationship, and the “Villain vs.
Victim” infection strategy.)
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