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.

Note that this change was not due to pollution making the moths darker. The dark variety had always existed in small numbers, but only had a selective advantage when the selection pressure changed.

This is because natural selection acts to increase the prevalence of highly advantageous alleles, over time generating common resistance alleles of especially strong effect. For example ...

This helps the species to be more successful in its habitat. It’s natural selection at work. In some examples of convergent evolution, species evolve the same solution to a problem but take a ...

Linking questions span different topics. In linking questions, it is important that you plan your answer and not just rush into it. After all, you would plan an essay or short story before starting.

Q: Tell us about this "dangerous idea" of Darwin's. A: I think Darwin's idea of natural selection is the best idea anybody ever had, ahead of Newton, ahead of Einstein. What it does is it promises ...

For example, dominant male red deer monopolize ... and that therefore do no reinforce the effects of natural selection. If females evolve a preference for a particular trait, males bearing that ...

It probably feels obvious that having a close friend can influence your well-being. But do the groups that you're a part of ...

unpredictable fray of natural selection. With two partners combining varied genes, a species has more flexibility to adapt to changing environments. There are, however, rare examples of asexual ...

In natural selection, genetic mutations that are beneficial to an individual’s survival are passed on through reproduction. This results in a new generation of organisms that are more likely to ...