Biological adaptation is the evolutionary process through which heritable traits that enhance an organism’s fitness become more prevalent in a population over generations under specific environmental conditions. It operates primarily via natural selection acting on genetic variation, including mutations, recombination, and gene flow, and is constrained by developmental, genetic, and phylogenetic factors. Adaptations can be morphological, physiological, or behavioral and are typically characterized by increased survival or reproductive success in a given niche. The process is dynamic and context-dependent, such that traits advantageous in one environment may be neutral or deleterious in another, contributing to diversification and speciation.
The shift from warm summer to cool fall conditions can be stressful for many animals. Surviving each season requires a multitude of different physiological and behavioral traits that scientists are still working to understand.
Plants & Animals
Dec 5, 2025
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As tropical forests experience chronic drying and more extreme droughts due to climate change, some plants are adapting by growing longer root systems to reach water deep within soils, according to a study published in November ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 4, 2025
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DNA sequencing technology makes it possible to explore the genome to learn how humans adapted to live in a wide range of environments. Research has shown, for instance, that Tibetans living at high altitude in the Himalayas ...
Evolution
Dec 3, 2025
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132
A team of researchers from Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University has identified the Drosophila Cul2 substrate adaptor DmZer1 as a key regulator of protein quality control, acting at the intersection of two major ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 2, 2025
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0
Urbanization is rapidly growing worldwide, often bringing negative effects on wildlife through loss of habitat and disturbances such as light pollution and noise. Yet some species manage to adapt to cities, either due to ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 1, 2025
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Deception is everywhere in nature. Animals and plants routinely cheat, lie and manipulate for their own benefit. One example is mimicry, where one species (the mimic) has evolved to resemble another (the model).
Evolution
Dec 1, 2025
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12
"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative," wrote H. G. Wells. This principle—that survival requires change—was mastered billions of years ago by single-celled organisms living in extreme heat. ...
Evolution
Nov 29, 2025
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22
Nature is brimming with color in almost every season. While the majority of colors are matte, some are shiny. Evolutionary biologist Casper van der Kooi wondered why shiny colors are so rare. He researched how bees perceive ...
Evolution
Nov 26, 2025
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A new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison provides the first empirical evidence connecting the chromosomal location of genes to natural selection, indicating the arrangement of genes can influence ...
Evolution
Nov 24, 2025
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In nature, it is not usual for animals to be deceptive, as evolution has typically favored communication that benefits both the sender and receiver by conveying reliable information. But, there are exceptions, particularly ...
