http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/natural selection http://io9.com/tag/natural selection

The latest Symphony of Science track is out, and it is a doozy. Listen to David Attenborough, Richard Dawkins and Bill Nye get their rave on for evolution. Who knew synths intermingled with amoebas on the Tree of Life? Hat tip to Krakenstein2! More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5876618&view=rss&microfeed=true

When we domesticate animals, we alter their evolutionary development to favor the traits that we find most desirable. Usually, that process takes hundreds, even thousands of years. But fish hatcheries can scramble a species' genetics in a single generation. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5869197&view=rss&microfeed=true

In general, the more aware of reality you are, the more likely you are to survive. But sometimes lying to yourself has its advantages. Possessing an over-inflated belief in yourself can help you perform better than accurately knowing your abilities. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5840415&view=rss&microfeed=true

The male Houbara bustard of North Africa is one of the animal kingdom's most extravagant creatures, with huge ornamental feathers and complex, energetic mating practices known as "booming." But all that booming has dire consequences for their actual reproductive chances. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5827638&view=rss&microfeed=true

Survival of the fittest is, at its heart, an expression of the idea that natural selection will favor those species that are best adapted to their environment. But there might also be a place for the unfit after all. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5787134&view=rss&microfeed=true

Could another species someday replace us as Earth's dominant intelligent life and, if so, which species? To answer that question, we need to understand just what intelligence really is. And why, from an evolutionary standpoint, an organism would even want it. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5780020&view=rss&microfeed=true

Mindlessly copying everything your parents did may seem like a silly thing to do. But from an evolutionary standpoint, not thinking might be the best possible strategy for survival. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5773203&view=rss&microfeed=true

The most famous philosopher of the Victorian age, Herbert Spencer, coined the term "survival of the fittest", tried to apply the concepts of evolution to human society, and was described by Charles Darwin himself as "twenty times my superior." He was also a shameless hypochondriac, a sadistic prankster, and liked to dress in a one-piece suit that made him look like a bear. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5749070&view=rss&microfeed=true

For centuries, a group of Native Mexicans have poisoned and harvested cavefish as part of an annual ceremony. Now the cavefish have gotten wise, as they have evolved increased resistance to the deadly toxins in order to adapt and survive. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5683562&view=rss&microfeed=true

Though science fiction often mangles scientific truths, it is nevertheless a genre that is highly influenced by the latest trends in scientific thought and research. Here are some of the scientific (and semi-scientific) ideas that have influenced SF the most. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5621127&view=rss&microfeed=true

Good genes aren't the only way to gain an evolutionary advantage. You can also enlist other organisms to fight off threats - and then pass those helpful symbiotic partners on to your offspring. It's an all new kind of evolution. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5582022&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sorry, fashion industry: The shape of things to come for women will be shorter and plumper, and it's all thanks to natural selection. Or, at least, that's what some scientists are claiming. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5385135&view=rss&microfeed=true

Accepted scientific wisdom holds that new species arise because of geographic separation - the same bird evolves differently on two different islands. But a new study overturns this idea, challenging the importance of environment as a driver of evolution. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5317283&view=rss&microfeed=true

A new method for evaluating which species are at risk of becoming endangered has put a target on the heads of one group you may be somewhat familiar with: mammals. Rapid-fire estimates have created volatility in the mammal futures market. What groups should you start withdrawing your natural selection dollars from? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5063875&view=rss&microfeed=true