Kin selection

5. Elephants Elephants are considered one of the most intelligent animals on earth. It is believed that their intelligence stems from the fact that the neocortex portion of their brain is highly convoluted, which makes it similar to the brains of humans and apes. It has recently been discovered that some African elephants may warn one another about the presence of humans with a specific ‘word.’ They accomplish this by manipulating their vocal tract. They also have a ‘word’ to warn one another…

Eugenics is quite the term to the common ear, and for those who have heard someone speak of it probably aren’t familiar with the ethical intricacies lie behind it. A British scholar named Sir Francis Galton pioneered eugenics in the 1930’s, and defined it as the desire for offspring to be “well-born” (Introduction to Eugenics). Eugenics involves manipulation of human reproduction, in an effort to improve bloodlines and the overall physical and mental makeup of a man or a woman (Introduction to…

Kuhelj and Virant-Doberlet conducted their study, “Male-Male interactions and male mating success in the leafhopper Aphrodes makarovi” in order to be able to determine how male-male interaction is correlated to their reproductive success. The researchers had first hypothesized that a female leafhopper is more likely to mate with male who exhibits a higher effort in their calls. The males with the longer or louder call would be more likely to get a longer response from the female, which in the…

will be focusing on one specific theory of animal evolution: r/K Selection Theory. Meaning First, what does r and K mean? Both of these terms are derived from the Verhulst model of population dynamics: dN/dt=rN(1-N/K) in which r is the maximum growth rate of the population (N) and K is the carrying capacity of the environment, also the notion dN/dt means the derivative of N with respect to t (time) (1). The terminology of r/K-selection was first coined by ecologists Robert MacArthur and E.…

Charles Darwins theory on evolution is a hard concept for many to grasp. Its also one of the biggest topics of controversy around the world; Rather we should believe in creationism or believe in the science and facts that we have been accumulating for about 200,000 thousand years. I believe Darwin’s idea of evolution was to not fight creationism but to explore and make sense of our universe. To believe in the theory of science or to believe in the idea of a god, the choice is all up to you. Life…

In The Time Machine the time traveler theories about the future human organisms evolving into two distinguishing forms, Morlocks and Elois. H.G Well’s theories are much similar to Charles Darwin’s idea of natural selection and evolution. Wells uses great description and details to help the reader grasp what he theorizes of the species for example: “(His flushed face reminded me of the more beautiful kind of consumptive—that hectic beauty of which we used to hear so much Wells18)”.This is just…

The four forces of evolution include natural selection, mutation, gene flow, and genetic drift. Natural selection is the foremost force in evolution. It states that biological traits which increase survival will become more frequent in each subsequent generation. It is the most prominent force in evolution because members of a population that inherit these traits live longer, and produce more offspring. Another force of evolution is mutation, the only cause of new genetic material. A mutation is…

learning at Cambridge University, and completed his Bachelor of Arts three years later. Being fascinated in natural history, he began to develop a revolutionary theory about the origin of living beings, which was called “The Evolution Theory of Natural Selection”. However, at that moment, most of Europeans still believed that…

Darwin had long appreciated the importance of artificial selection practiced by animal breeders. But until Malthus’s vision of struggle and crowding catalyzed his thoughts, he had not been able to identify an agent for natural selection. (p. 22). Even Darwin, a scientist who arguably made one the greatest discoveries in history did not do so on his own. In fact, his work was guided by others. That includes his theory on natural selection. Now, if one of the greatest scientific minds in history…

Evolutionary psychology is defined “the branch of psychology that studies the ways in which adaptation and natural selection are connected with mental processes and behavior.” (Rathus, 2013) Natural selection is important because it is the ability to allow species to adapt to the current environment in order to survive and reproduce. Evolutionary psychologists study how adaption and natural selection connect with behavior and mental processes. In other words, they study changes in human…