This is the blog for GW students taking Human Evolutionary Genetics. This site is for posting interesting tidbits on: the patterns and processes of human genetic variation;human origins and migration; molecular adaptations to environment, lifestyle and disease; ancient and forensic DNA analyses; and genealogical reconstructions.

GWHEG figure

GWHEG figure

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Which came first, the organism or the environment?


How Warp-Speed Evolution Is Transforming EcologyA recent article in Scientific American highlighted a few very interesting cases of chicken-or-the-egg, in relation to organisms' adaptations to environments. We often talk about how species adapt to living in niches, especially in terms of physical traits like patterns and coloration that help them either camouflage or signal danger. In each of the cases in the article, however, researchers look at what happens with broader ecological changes when species that are specifically adapted to one environment are placed in another -- it's pretty incredible!


Click to read "How Warp-Speed Evolution Is Transforming Ecology"

-Courtney Sexton

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