Evolutionary biology

Since Darwin’s theory of Evolution by Natural Selection was widely accepted, biologists have studied how this affects plants and animals. These effects can be seen clearly in sexual selection - where a trait that is, on the face of it, detrimental for an animal, such as a bird having a long tail that makes it difficult for them to fly, is selected for because of the female’s preference. Speciation - the rapid development of new species, is also seen clearly where small numbers of individuals are separated from the rest of the population, such as on islands like the Galapagos or Madagascar.

Photograph of the Hawaiian archipelago, taken from space. Public domain image via NASA — Because of its relative isolation from the rest of the world, most of the species on the Hawaiian archipelago are unique to the islands. *Photograph courtesy NASA*

Articles about evolutionary biology

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Despite its amazing ability to explain how species change and diverge there are some areas of evolution that scientists are still working to understand.
Delve deeper into evolution

What causes animals to go extinct? And what could be the cause of the ultimate demise of humans?
Delve deeper into extinction

Scientists agree that human activities are causing climate change, but the finer details are still unknown.
Delve deeper into climate change

The origins of life – where and how did life begin?
Delve deeper into origin of life

The search for alien life catches many people's imagination and has always been a very public branch of science. So with all this investigation, why has our search revealed nothing? Are we truly alone in the Universe?
Delve deeper into extraterrestrial life

Whales; the majestic, mysterious mammals of the ocean.
Delve deeper into whales

Sharks are one of our most poorly understood animals, hard to study, dangerous and diverse, impacting the ecosystem and sometimes our daily lives.
Delve deeper into sharks
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Our immune systems are vital for our survival as they protect us from bacterial, viruses and other pathogens that could cause us harm. But sometimes, they can go wrong, and cause damage to our bodies.
Delve deeper into immune system

There are many unknowns when it comes to pregnancy, and many accepted phenomena are still unexplained, or simply attributed to "hormones" or "the placenta" (a complex and poorly understood organ!)
Delve deeper into pregnancy

Emotions are a vital part of society, but there are still plenty of mysteries surrounding them – from what they are for to whether it will be possible, or desirable, to create AI that experiences them.
Delve deeper into emotions

Our senses allow us to explore and interact with the world around us. Even the simplest living organisms have some way to sense their environment - and some animals can sense in ways we can't even imagine!
Delve deeper into senses
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Can the toxoplasma gondii parasite change our personalities, behaviours and who we're attracted to?
Delve deeper into toxoplasmosis

Going without sleep will kill you faster than going without food. But why?
Delve deeper into sleep

If a keystone species is lost, the entire ecosystem can collapse.
Delve deeper into keystone species

There’s still a whole herd of things we don’t know about bovine TB, its nature, spread and the effects of badger culling: could culling reduce it - or make it worse?
Delve deeper into bovine tb

At low concentrations toxins, drugs, radiation and other “stressors” may improve health rather than damage it. Scientists are looking into why.
Delve deeper into hormesis

The disease COVID-19, caused coronavirus, was thought to originate from a seafood market in China, and be 10,000 years old... but it may come from elsewhere and be millions of years older.
Delve deeper into coronavirus