Category: Evolutionary Biology

We like to think that evolution is directed. But, evolution is a little bit more random. The best experiment that I’ve ever seen that showcases the true nature of evolution was done by researchers at Lehigh University using this form of yeast that’s basically toxic to other yeast. Then...

Bedbugs are hot garbage and nobody needs them. Entomologists, whose whole job it is to study bugs, took one look at bedbugs and they were like, “Yeah, turns out nobody needs these.” The reason they feel this way is that bedbugs have become so uniquely suited to humans that...

The 2017 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Dr. Michael Young, Dr. Jeffrey Hall, and Dr. Michael Rosbash for the discovery of the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. Because I’m not on the nobel prize selection committee, I can’t tell you exactly why they picked this...

Have you ever seen ants walking in a line and wondered how they do it? Scientists have known for a long time that ants use secreted chemicals called pheromones to communicate complicated social signals including which trails to walk on. While we knew that ants fluently speak pheromone, we...

There are millions of examples of plants and animals adapting to their environment. Need to blend in? Change your coloring. Need to crack a different kind of nut? Change your beak. But while we have lots of examples of adaptation, we rarely have the ability to look at what...