Understanding this phenomenon allowed him to develop his concept of “natural selection” which, in turn, became a core element of his theory of evolution. Darwin observed that with such abundance, ...

Change can also occur by genetic drift or gene flow. What does ‘survival of the fittest’ mean? In terms of evolution, an animal that is ‘fit’ is one that’s adapted to its environment. This concept is ...

A classic example of natural selection at work is the origin of giraffes’ long necks. The ancestors of modern giraffes were animals similar to deer or antelope, with necks of ordinary length.

The proportion of well-adapted organisms in a population can increase over the generations by the process of evolution by natural selection.

In animals like the noolbenger/honey possum, females are highly promiscuous, forcing males to evolve some impressive ...

New alleles produced by mutations can result in plants and animals becoming better adapted to their environment. Variation within a population makes it possible for a population to evolve over ...

Edelaar, P. & Weissing, F. J. On the origin of species by natural and sexual selection. Science 326, 1704–1707 (2009). Via, S. Sympatric speciation in animals: The ugly duckling grows up.

Animals also choose their mates, sometimes with a great deal of care. Mating systems are important to understand because they reflect the result of natural selection on mate choice, and ultimately ...

Discover the science behind natural selection and evolution. Get the facts on survival of the fittest with ExtremeTech’s comprehensive breakdown.

"A likely scenario is that initially some animals just happened to have more copies of detox genes than others and were ...

Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban made his prediction for tonight's College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between ...