News tagged with sexual selection

Permanently dismal economy could prompt men to seek more sex partners

Grim economic times could cause men to seek more sexual partners, giving them more chances to reproduce, according to research by Omri Gillath, a social psychology professor at the University of Kansas.

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Oct 13, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0

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

Manipulative mothers subdue show-off sons

The gaudy plumage and acrobatic displays of birds of paradise are a striking example of sexual selection, Charles Darwin's second great theory of evolution. But new research shows that this powerful process may collapse when ...

Biology / Evolution

created Sep 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brawn and speed make the grade during mate selection

Do more efficient and faster male birds win females over? New research from the United Kingdom suggests that the rock ptarmigan, the Arctic cousin of the grouse, does. University of Manchester researchers ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 12, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The burly bird catches the girl

While the early bird might catch the worm, it's the quick bird that lands the ladies, according to new research into the running performance of an Arctic cousin of the grouse.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 17, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A happy life is a long one for orangutans

New research has shown that happier orang-utans live longer which may shed light on the evolution of happiness in humans.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 29, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Female mate choice enhances offspring fitness in an annual herb

In many organisms females directly or indirectly select mates (or sperm) and potentially influence the fitness of their offspring. Mate choice and sexual selection in plants is more complex in some ways than ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 27, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

For peacocks, the eyespots don't lie

Male peacock tail plumage and courtship antics likely influence their success at attracting and mating with females, according to recent Queen's University research.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 27, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Female deer confirm bigger is not always better when choosing a mate

Female deer do not always choose the bigger and dominant males to mate with, scientists from Queen Mary, University of London and Hartpury College have found.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 06, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

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

Research finds men with macho faces attractive to fertile women

(PhysOrg.com) -- When their romantic partners are not quintessentially masculine, women in their fertile phase are more likely to fantasize about masculine-looking men than are women paired with George Clooney types.

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Jan 10, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Brain size and a trip to Disneyland: How parental concerns could increase the size of our creative brains

Evidence from Disneyland suggests that human creativity may have evolved not in response to sexual selection as some scientists believe but as a way to help parents bond with their children and to pass on traditions and cultural ...

Biology / Evolution

created Nov 15, 2010 | popularity not rated yet | comments 2

Female fish flaunt fins to attract a mate

For the first time, biologists have described the evolution of the size of a female trait which males use to choose a partner. The research, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, shows ...

Biology / Evolution

created Oct 08, 2010 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Ugly Betty forced to aim for Average Joe

Less-pretty female house sparrows tend to lower their aim when selecting a mate. Addressing the lack of studies on condition-dependency of female mate choice, researchers writing in the open access journal ...

Biology / Evolution

created Aug 26, 2010 | popularity not rated yet | comments 2

What causes hybrid vigor?

Plant scientists at the John Innes Centre have provided a new solution to an old debate on why species hybrids can be more vigourous than their parents. In a study to be published online next week in the online open access ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 20, 2010 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0