Ten Astounding Cases of Modern Evolution and Adaptation
A New Yorker's Worst Nightmare An evolved bedbug. Volker Steger/Photo ResearchersAnimals (including humans) are constantly adapting to their environments. Here are ten reminders that this incredible process is constant-not limited to the distant past When we look at how evolution has taken us from eyeless blobs to moderately capable bloggers, it can seem like a vast, unknowable force. But when we look at individual traits and how they appear and disappear in clever ways, the functioning of cause and effect is clear, and fascinating, to see. People keep poisoning your lake? Well, Mr. Fish, why don't you develop a resistance to that poison, and pass it down to your kids? Bats keep ignoring your flower and pollinating others? Well, tropical vine, how about adapting an echolocation-reflecting satellite-dish-shaped leaf? We gathered a list of ten evolutions and adaptations that are either new or newly discovered, ranging from plants to animals to,...