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 e.g the Galapagos or Madagascar.
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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.
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What causes animals to go extinct? And what could be the cause of the ultimate demise of humans?
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Scientists agree that human activities are causing climate change, but the finer details are still unknown.
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The Origins of Life - Where and how did life begin?
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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?
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Whales; the majestic, mysterious mammals of the ocean.
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Sharks are one of our most poorly understood animals, hard to study, dangerous and diverse, impacting the ecosystem and sometimes our daily lives.
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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.
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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!)
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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.
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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!
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Going without sleep will kill you faster than going without food. But why?
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If a keystone species is lost, the entire ecosystem can collapse.
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Blog posts about evolutionary biology
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