News tagged with sexual selection

Darwinian selection continues to influence human evolution

New evidence proves humans are continuing to evolve and that significant natural and sexual selection is still taking place in our species in the modern world.

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 30, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (22) | comments 98 | with audio podcast

Men are dying for sex: Mating competition explains excess male mortality

(PhysOrg.com) -- Men die at higher rates than women across the lifespan. A new study suggests that this excess mortality is the price of reproductive competition.

Biology / Evolution

created May 24, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (20) | comments 43 | with audio podcast

Polygamy hurt 19th century Mormon wives' evolutionary fitness

Polygamy practiced by some 19th century Mormon men had the curious effect of suppressing the overall offspring numbers of Mormon women in plural marriages, say scientists from Indiana University Bloomington ...

Biology / Evolution

created Feb 22, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (13) | comments 33 | with audio podcast

Sexual Encounters of the Third Kind: Darwin's Beetles Still Producing Surprises

(PhysOrg.com) -- On the eve of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, researchers at the University of New Mexico and University of Montana report a new twist in sexual selection theory - the realm of evolutionary ...

Biology /

created Feb 06, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (10) | comments 1

It was brawn over beauty in human mating competition

(PhysOrg.com) -- Male physical competition, not attraction, was central in winning mates among human ancestors, according to a Penn State anthropologist.

Biology / Evolution

created May 13, 2010 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (13) | comments 19 | with audio podcast

Researcher compiles evidence in support of Darwin's theory of sexual selection

In 1871, Charles Darwin sparked debate that continues today when he proposed that human sex differences evolved based on sexual selection. Sexual selection is Darwin's theory that certain physical, mental or psychological ...

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 13, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Allure of avatar to unlock secrets of sex

(PhysOrg.com) -- There's more to what makes a man or woman attractive than mere shape or weight, but what else do we take into account when we make that judgement?

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created May 14, 2010 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (9) | comments 2

Studies suggest males have more personality

(PhysOrg.com) -- Males have more pronounced personalities than females across a range of species - from humans to house sparrows - according to new research. Consistent personality traits, such as aggression ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (9) | comments 3

Evolution of human sex roles more complex than described by universal theory

A new study challenges long-standing expectations that men are promiscuous and women tend to be more particular when it comes to choosing a mate. The research, published by Cell Press in the April issue of the journal Trends in ...

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 24, 2009 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (9) | comments 6

An honest face

(PhysOrg.com) -- Wider faced men are less trustworthy and our instincts know it, according to researchers at the University of St Andrews.

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Mar 10, 2010 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Why do we choose our mates? Ask Charles Darwin, prof says

Charles Darwin wrote about it 150 years ago: animals don't pick their mates by pure chance - it's a process that is deliberate and involves numerous factors. After decades of examining his work, experts agree that he pretty ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jun 16, 2009 | popularity 3.1 / 5 (9) | comments 5

Why do animals, especially males, have so many different colors?

(PhysOrg.com) -- In new research, UCLA scientists claim that "secondary sexual traits" like coloring may let animals know which species to avoid fighting.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 31, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (7) | comments 2

Biologists' work with 'glow-in-the-dark' sperm sheds light on sexual selection

Previously unobservable events occurring between insemination and fertilization are the subject of a groundbreaking new article in Science magazine (March 18) by Mollie Manier, John Belote and Scott Pitnic ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 18, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Sexy snacks: Study finds female mate searching evolves when mating gifts are important

In the animal world, males typically search for their female partners. The mystery is that in some species, you get a reversal -- the females search for males.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 28, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Small But Mighty Female Lizards Control Genetic Destiny

(PhysOrg.com) -- "Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Mother Teresa's words echo throughout the world. They ring particularly true in the biological kingdom among brown ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 05, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast