Evolution Blog

 "Survival of the fittest" Survival of the fittest is misconceived to mean that individuals who are stronger, better, and faster are the ones who are going to survive. If this were the case in evolution, we would expect to see more creatures that look muscular, like a lion or tiger. (Royal Bengal Tiger)                              (Barbary Lion)                   How come we have things like this?   (Monarch Butterflies)           (Leaf Sheep Sea Slug) This was a question that had plagued me until I learned about Evolutionary Fitness.  Evolutionary fitness is how well an individual is suited to its environment. Fitness is also a measure of a population and how well they are able to survive and reproduce in their home environment. Suddenly the word "fitness" had a new meaning for me.  There is a phrase that i...

 Hi, I'm Brooke!  I love sharks and one day I hope to become a shark biologist and study great white sharks! Currently, I am transitioning to a new position here at OSU. It's going to be a huge change, but I am excited.  My husband and I have 3 cats, 2 of which are kittens, a dog, 2 tarantulas, some fish, and tons of plants.   The question that interested me the most from the article “The big issues” would be how does evolution produce new and complex features.  Evolution produces unique features over time. These can be through advantageous intermediates or through co-opting intermediates . In an advantageous intermediate , you will see a feature appear that may or may not seem outwardly helpful but provides an advantage for the individual(s). In co-opting intermediates , the feature that appears may be used entirely differently than the most recent evolution but it provides the necessary advantage to allow the lineage to continue. Both intermediates allow for ...