What Star Trek can teach us about genetics and evolution. Duke Today, Sept. 13, 2018. Why do Vulcans look so much like us? Could ‘mutations’ induced by breaking the “Warp 10” speed barrier rapidly transform a person into a bizarre man-salamander? And how well does the romance between the different alien races in the Star Trek universe match what scientists know about how one species splits into two, and what keeps them distinct? Duke biologist and die-hard Trek fan Mohamed Noor explores the answers to these and other questions in his new book, “Live Long and Evolve,” a fact-filled guide to some of the real-world scientific principles underlying Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi franchise.