We may have become the most complex living creature in part by accident and replication of error.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Natural selection
Displaying 1 - 20 of 65 articles
Most of the males in a Puerto Rican monkey colony engaged in homosexual activity, a new study reveals.
A newborn bison calf in Yellowstone National Park had to be euthanized after a visitor handled it in May 2023 – a recent example of how trying to help wild animals often harms them.
Genetic evidence reveals a long, previously unknown period of adaptation to cold climates in the history of ancient human migrations across the globe.
How the social lives of animals help them survive.
False alarms are common in prey animals, but what causes them and how can they be avoided?
Face masks are still an effective way to help stop the spread of the BA.5 subvariant.
The first hammerhead shark was likely the result of a genetic deformity. A biologist explains how shark DNA reveals hammerheads’ history.
A long-term study of wild animal populations shows each generation is on average almost 20% genetically ‘better’ than their parents at surviving and reproducing.
Tumors contain thousands of genetic changes, but only a few are actually cancer-causing. A quicker way to identify these driver mutations could lead to more targeted cancer treatments.
We’ll probably be less aggressive and more agreeable, but have smaller brains – a bit like a Golden Retriever, we’ll be friendly, but maybe not that interesting or bright.
Assuming that natural selection shapes all animal and plant traits is a false impression. Natural selection is a mindless process.
When the coronavirus copies itself, there is a chance its RNA will mutate. But new variants must jump from one host to another, and the more infections there are, the better chance this will happen.
We’re the only species that can throw at speeds that kill.
First published 150 years ago, this work is shaped by Victorian-era sexual and racial stereotypes. But at a time when other evolutionists stressed humanity’s uniqueness, Darwin emphasised our ‘lowly nature’.
Finches have evolved to feed off blood from red-footed and Nazca boobies – and we’ve seen it first-hand.
When allocating resources, we prioritize members of the social groups we belong to, rather than including others in our allocations. This will determine how the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed.
As editor of the magazine for 24 years, Du Bois featured articles about biology, evolution, archaeology in Africa and more to refute the rampant scientific racism of the early 20th century.
Scientists don’t ask how some people evolved to be tall. In the same way, asking how homosexuality evolved is the wrong question. We need to ask how human sexuality evolved in all its forms.
The purpose of sex may seem obvious, but it has perplexed and intrigued a variety of great minds for millennia.
Top contributors
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Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement, University of East Anglia
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Fellow, Keele University
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Lecturer, School of Biology, University of St Andrews
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Postdoctoral Researcher, Université de Lausanne
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Associate Research Professor of Wildlife Conservation, Penn State
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Mark Elgar is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Evolutionary Biology, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Organismic Biology, Imperial College London
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Professor in Evolutionary Biology, Macquarie University
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Deputy Director and ARC Future Fellow, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, University of Adelaide
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Jenny Graves is a Friend of The Conversation.
Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
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Researcher, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor, North Carolina State University
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Chancellor's Professor of Medicine, Liberal Arts, and Philanthropy, Indiana University
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Emeritus Professor of Animal Genetics, University of Sydney
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Associate professor, University of Sydney
