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Articles on Natural selection

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Ok, which one of you is trying to get attention? I can hear it in your voice. karavai/shutterstock

When girls are in the audience, choir boys sing for attention

Did we evolve the capacity to produce sublime music simply to get more sex? Or are we driven by higher ideals related to living together in harmony? Maybe it’s a bit of both.
As genes are favored or phased out, human evolution continues. ktsdesign/Shutterstock.com

Evolutionary geneticists spot natural selection happening now in people

Comparing genomes of more than 200,000 people, researchers identified genetic variants that are less common in older people, suggesting natural selection continues to weed out disadvantageous traits.
There wouldn’t be statues acclaiming Darwin and his theory if it couldn’t stand up to decades of testing. CGP Grey

Scientific theories aren’t mere conjecture – to survive they must work

In science, the word ‘theory’ has a very specific meaning that’s easy for nonscientists to misunderstand or misconstrue. Here’s what a theory must withstand to be accepted by the scientific community.
Both biology and culture likely contribute to our reproductive behaviour. TZIDO SUN/Shutterstock

Maternal instinct and biology: evolution ensures we want sex, not babies

Is a woman’s longing for a child evolution at work, or social conditioning? And what about those who don’t want kids? Are they defying nature? Probably not, as almost everyone wants sex.
The discovery of the genes that influence the beak shape in the famous Galapagos finches highlight the underlying unity of all life. Paul Krawczuk/Flickr

Darwin’s finches highlight the unity of all life

Darwin’s finches are known to be a paragon of evolution by natural selection, but a recent genetic discovery relating to their beaks highlights the evolutionary connectedness of all life.
A green anole, clinging to a palm frond with nicely silhouetted toepads. Yoel Stuart

Invasive species trigger rapid evolution for lizards in Florida

Invasive species colonize and spread widely in places where they are not normally found. Invasives often affect native species by eating them, out-competing them and introducing unfamiliar parasites and…
New research shows golden orb weaving spiders are larger in cities compared to their relatives in the bush. Lizzy Lowe

City spiders are getting bigger — but that’s a good thing

Find yourself thinking that the spider living in your garden is the biggest you’ve ever seen? You could be right. New research shows some spiders are getting larger and even doing better in cities than…

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