Articles tagged with Natural Selection
Researchers found that human endurance activities share the same metabolic limits, with energy expenditure unable to exceed 2.5 times resting metabolism. This universal limit applies across various events and muscle groups, suggesting a common adaptive mechanism.
A long-term study of mountain chickadees found that individuals with better learning and memory skills are more likely to survive their first winter. This is due to natural selection acting on the birds' spatial cognition, which enables them to find food caches made during previous winters.
New research suggests sex-specific dominance reversal for fitness is a strong and common phenomenon throughout the genome. This mechanism helps maintain genetic variation that has led to life's spectacular diversity.
A review explores the complexity of evolution's predictability, revealing a mix of contingency and determinism in evolutionary change. The study analyzed various empirical studies to characterize repeatability and contingency in evolution, finding that there is no easy answer to whether history affects the repeatability of evolution.
A new study by McGill researchers found that, on average, human disturbances do not appear to accelerate evolution. The authors analyzed 40 studies on species' responses to human activity, covering 102 traits in 37 different species.
A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that the conical shape of murre eggs makes them more stable on cliffside ledges. Increasing the egg's conicality reduced its tendency to roll off the surface, providing experimental support for natural selection shaping the unique form of murre eggs.
A new study by Harvard University researchers suggests that natural selection can favor different personality types in lizards, affecting their behavior and survival. In the experiment, bold lizards were found to survive longer when predators were present, but their mortality increased when predators were absent.
A study found that genes beneficial in youth but detrimental in old age may contribute to the rise of chronic diseases in modern societies. The review suggests that natural selection may be changing course, but more research is needed to fully understand its impact on human health.
A study published in Cell found that the Bajau people of Southeast Asia, who spend their lives at sea, have larger spleens than non-divers due to genetic adaptation. The research suggests that this adaptation is a rare example of natural selection in modern humans and could provide insights into managing acute hypoxia.
A study by University of Lincoln researchers discovered that conflict between sexes within a species can lead to one sex adapting to different resources, effectively preventing other species from colonizing habitats. This challenges traditional theories on natural selection's role in driving biodiversity evolution.
Researchers from Utah State University and the University of Sheffield explore evolutionary predictability using data on cryptic body coloration in stick insects. They found that natural selection drives change, but environmental fluctuations and complex ecological processes limit prediction.
A new study published in the International Journal of Astrobiology suggests that aliens could have evolved in a similar way to humans, with natural selection playing a key role. The research uses evolutionary theory to predict the biological make-up and behavior of complex alien life forms.
Researchers at the University of Arizona found that even with perfect natural selection, aging would still occur due to cancer cells cheating the system. Slowing down one type of cell can lead to an increase in another problematic cell type, making it mathematically impossible to halt aging.
A recent study by Philipp Mitteroecker and colleagues used the cliff edge model to predict that women born by Caesarean are more likely to develop FPD in their own childbirth, with a 2.8 times higher risk compared to women born vaginally.
The study found that the world's 'better' countries, with greater access to healthcare, experience much higher rates of cancer incidence than the world's 'worse off' countries. The rate of most cancers in the top 10 best countries was greater than in the 10 worst countries.
A new study by Jacob Weiner found that less competitive wheat varieties produce higher yields when grown in groups, challenging traditional plant breeding methods. This finding could lead to a shift towards group selection and the development of more efficient agricultural practices.
Research from the University of Alberta found that female squirrels who predict abundant food years have more pups that survive to maturity. This is due to their ability to recognize mast seeding years, which occur once in a few years and provide an abundance of food.
Research by University of Montana postdoctoral fellow Shane Campbell-Staton found significant increases in cold tolerance at the species' southern limit. Gene expression in southern survivors shifted toward patterns characteristic of northern populations, revealing rapid phenotypic, regulatory and genomic shifts.
A new study tracks natural selection in green anole lizards that survived a record-breaking winter in Texas, revealing a shift towards more robustness against cold weather. The research provides valuable insights into how extreme weather events affect natural populations and the evolution of species.
The researchers created systems capable of emulating certain properties exclusive of living entities, including natural selection, memory and intelligence. They developed mechanisms for natural selection, memory and learning processes that can be used to automate processes on a quantum scale.
A new study uses transgenic organisms and biochemistry to test an evolutionary hypothesis on fruit flies' ability to metabolize alcohol. The research found that the amino acid changes in the ADH protein do not improve the fruit flies' tolerance for alcohol, challenging a previous hypothesis.
Researchers at Brown University have discovered the optimal shape of sea sponge spicules, which provides a blueprint for increasing buckling resistance in human-made structures. The tapered shape, similar to a Clausen column, offers improved buckling resistance due to its consistent and nearly identical dimensions.
Researchers found evidence of stabilizing selection that maintains functional characteristics in ant populations. The study revealed significant genetic differences and limited gene flow among ant populations, suggesting that natural selection acts on important traits while less critical traits diversify over time.
A new report from psychologists suggests that people can come to see a reliance on reason and evidence as a moral issue, leading to harsher judgments of those perceived as less rational. Individuals who moralize rationality view others as less moral and prefer to distance themselves.
Chicks are less honest when begging for food in family groups with conflict, research by University of Oxford scientists found. Analysis of over 100 studies across 60 bird species showed that chicks exaggerate their need for food if parents are likely to breed again in the future.
Researchers tracked Magellanic penguin data for 28 years to detect signs of natural selection acting on specific traits. Selection was observed in seven out of the 28 years, with larger males having an edge in lean years, while females showed selection on foot size, bill depth, and body size.
A new UT study found that human limbs do not evolve independently, but are influenced by genetic correlations with other bones. The research challenged traditional theories on body shape and size, suggesting that multiple forces shape human form in response to environmental factors.
A new study suggests that socially enforced nepotism, a concept that expands the classic theory of kin selection, may explain why people are altruistic towards distant kin. The simulations show that helping distant relatives can increase one's reputation and lead to more help from others, improving social rules and enforcing them.
Researchers found a direct correlation between increased life expectancy and the rise in type 1 diabetes cases globally. The study suggests that advances in medical care have reduced natural selection, allowing the underlying genetics of the disease to be passed from one generation to the next.
A computational model suggests that focusing on longer-term happiness and being less envious of others can lead to increased evolutionary fitness. Researchers found that agents with positive outlooks were more successful in simulations, even when food was scarce or abundant.
The study found a positive correlation between genetic recombination and adaptation rate, with a threshold recombination value of 2 cM/Mb indicating optimal genomic adaptation. This suggests that recombination facilitates adaptation and that linkage cost disappears beyond this threshold.
A University of Southampton professor suggests that evolution's ability to learn from past experiences could explain the emergence of complex designs in nature. This idea challenges traditional views of evolution as a blind process, instead revealing its capacity for adaptation and problem-solving.
Scientists have found fossilized peach pits over 2.5 million years old in southwest China, providing new insights into the fruit's evolutionary history. The discovery suggests that peaches evolved through natural selection before humans domesticated them.
Researchers found that artificial breeding created extreme wing shape and size relationships in fruit flies, but natural selection corrected these changes within just 15 generations. This study suggests that evolution is constrained by fundamental biological processes, such as developmental links between traits.
Researchers found that a brown variation of the Timema cristinae insect species prevents strong divergent adaptation and speciation by carrying genes between green populations. The study highlights how natural selection can sometimes impede the formation of new species.
Patrick Matthew described large-scale evolution through natural selection decades before Darwin, with some differing ideas but equal validity
A new paper by Dr Michael Weale from King's College London argues that Patrick Matthew deserves recognition alongside Darwin and Wallace as an originator of evolution by natural selection. Matthew's work, published in 1831, captures a valuable aspect of the theory that wasn't clear in Darwin's version.
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that genetic mutations affecting yeast gene expression can impact evolutionary fitness. The study revealed that natural selection favors consistent gene expression, suggesting a link between gene variability and evolutionary outcomes.
A team of researchers studied the red devil cichlid, a species with two color variants, and found that the darker individuals can alter their brightness to match their environment, while the gold-colored fish cannot. This ability may play a crucial role in maintaining color frequencies in the wild.
Researchers observed the evolution of simple self-reproducing groups of cells from individual cells, revealing a reproductive division of labour. Cheats that initially exploited others' cooperation eventually became seeds for future generations, leading to the emergence of multicellular organisms with improved fitness.
A study by Pruitt and Goodnight found that group-level adaptations, such as a critical ratio of two types of females, are potent evolutionary forces in nature. In spider colonies, docile and aggressive females adapt to specific locations, with the ratio shifting between survival-friendly and threat-prone conditions.
A Dartmouth-led study finds that tropical reptiles can adapt quickly to climate change through natural selection. Researchers measured the thermal physiology of brown anole lizards and found that those who ran fastest at warmer temperatures had a higher survival rate, suggesting they may be better equipped to cope with heat stress.
Scientists have successfully used a novel approach called bioretrosynthesis to produce the HIV drug didanosine. This method leverages natural selection to create specialized enzymes that can manufacture complex molecules from simple sugars, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional chemistry.
A new approach combines evolutionary and engineering analyses to identify biom Mechanical functions favored by natural selection in diverse species, including New World leaf-nosed bats. The study reveals three optimal snout shapes favored by natural selection, with mechanical advantage being more important than structural strength.
A study by the University of Bristol's Modelling Animal Decisions team found that optimal choices can violate transitivity, suggesting that seemingly irrelevant alternatives can influence decisions. This challenges traditional assumptions about rationality and decision-making.
Researchers have found that the Y chromosome retains key genes essential for male fertility, contradicting theories of its demise. The study, which analyzed Y chromosomes in African and European men, suggests that natural selection has played a crucial role in maintaining the gene content on the Y chromosome.
Researchers found that natural selection acts on evolvability, favoring traits that enable rapid adaptation and evolution in pathogens like Lyme disease bacteria. This is evident through increased genetic diversity among unexpressed cassettes, which offer a window into past natural selection for more evolvable VlsE protein.
The Theory in Biosciences journal commemorates Alfred Russel Wallace's contributions to evolutionary biology and biogeography. Wallace was a leading scientist who published extensively on various topics, including natural selection and biodiversity research.
A study published in Nature Communications reveals that evolution can favor mutations making avian flu more transmissible in mammals. The research found that even rare mutants can be transmitted if they have an evolutionary advantage, highlighting the potential for H5N1 viruses to infect humans.
Researchers from McMaster University suggest that menopause is an unintended outcome of natural selection caused by male preference for younger female mates. This study proposes a new explanation for why humans developed menopause, challenging the long-held grandmother theory.
Menopause is now believed to be an unintended outcome of natural selection, with older women being less likely to reproduce due to preference for younger mates among men. This new theory suggests that natural selection protects fertility in women while they are most likely to reproduce.
A meta-analysis of 62 studies across 48 species found that sticking around to care for offspring is the better choice for some males when faced with infidelity. Males tend to be more accepting of offspring fathered by other males in species where risk is low or caring doesn't harm reproductive success.
A meta-analysis of 62 studies across 48 different species found that males who stick around to care for offspring are more successful when females are promiscuous. This suggests that males make complex calculations about the benefits and risks of paternal care, and that natural selection favors tolerance in certain situations.
Researchers have found that nine separate mutations within a single gene in deer mice result in changes to their camouflage, illustrating the power of small genetic changes. The study suggests that natural selection acts on many small genetic changes to produce rapid and dramatic adaptations.
Study highlights importance of analyzing ancestral molecules in understanding adaptive evolution and natural selection. By examining changes in visual pigments over time, researchers can gain insights into how environmental factors drive vision adaptations.
A University of Utah study supports the theory that men help their sisters' children because they are more likely to carry genes from their mother. The new mathematical model relaxes assumptions previously made, showing that men are more likely to share genes with their sister's kids than under the old theory.
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center say cancer's evolutionary principles hold the key to thwarting emergence of drug resistance. By anticipating and adapting to environmental forces, they propose developing 'adaptive therapies' to improve outcomes.
A computer program using Darwinian natural selection and public feedback creates sophisticated pop tunes. The algorithm, called DarwinTunes, evolves through generations of music, with listeners consistently ranking more evolved music as more appealing.
Endocannabinoids play a crucial role in motivating human exercise behavior, suggesting that natural selection drove the evolution of endurance activities. The study found that exercising mammals release pleasurable endocannabinoids in response to high-intensity exercise.
A study by Jason Kolbe and colleagues reveals that the 'founder effect' persists even as lizard populations adapt to new environments. The research found that differences caused by the founder effect are retained in lizards with varying limb lengths, suggesting a complex interaction between natural selection and genetic variation.