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#naturalselection — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #naturalselection, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Why Can’t Humans Regrow Limbs? An Evolutionary Biologist Explains

    Salamanders regrow entire limbs. We share their evolutionary blueprint. So why can’t humans do the same? The answer…
    #NewsBeep #News #Science #Evolution #frog #GB #Howdoesregenerationwork #immunesystem #Immunology #larvalmetamorphosis #naturalselection #Regeneration #salamander #UK #UnitedKingdom #whycan'tweregrowlimbs
    newsbeep.com/uk/577019/

  2. #Humans in #Andes Appear to Have Evolved Strange #Genetic Ability
    For thousands of years, humans living high in the Argentinian Andes have relied on #drinkingwater that would make most people deathly ill, naturally occurring #arsenic in volcanic bedrock leaches into the groundwater, contaminating water with levels of toxic metalloid that would pose serious health risks.
    But for one group in north #Argentina #naturalselection may have provided an unusual genetic advantage.
    sciencealert.com/humans-in-the

  3. Allen, die sich an #Silvester beim #Feuerwerk mit selbstgebastelten oder nicht zugelassenen, aus dem Ausland illegal importierten #Böllern verletzen, möchte ich, ganz unabhängig von irgendwelchen #Verboten, folgende Worte sagen:
    Schlaua durch aua. (smarter by ouch)
    #Silvester #Feuerwerksverbot #Böller #böllerverbot #böllerfrei
    Bild: Böllerhände (hands after firework) #Karma #DarwinAward #NaturalSelection

  4. Allen, die sich an #Silvester beim #Feuerwerk mit selbstgebastelten oder nicht zugelassenen, aus dem Ausland illegal importierten #Böllern verletzen, möchte ich, ganz unabhängig von irgendwelchen #Verboten, folgende Worte sagen:
    Schlaua durch aua. (smarter by ouch)
    #Silvester #Feuerwerksverbot #Böller #böllerverbot #böllerfrei
    Bild: Böllerhände (hands after firework) #Karma #DarwinAward #NaturalSelection

  5. Allen, die sich an #Silvester beim #Feuerwerk mit selbstgebastelten oder nicht zugelassenen, aus dem Ausland illegal importierten #Böllern verletzen, möchte ich, ganz unabhängig von irgendwelchen #Verboten, folgende Worte sagen:
    Schlaua durch aua. (smarter by ouch)
    #Silvester #Feuerwerksverbot #Böller #böllerverbot #böllerfrei
    Bild: Böllerhände (hands after firework) #Karma #DarwinAward #NaturalSelection

  6. Allen, die sich an #Silvester beim #Feuerwerk mit selbstgebastelten oder nicht zugelassenen, aus dem Ausland illegal importierten #Böllern verletzen, möchte ich, ganz unabhängig von irgendwelchen #Verboten, folgende Worte sagen:
    Schlaua durch aua. (smarter by ouch)
    #Silvester #Feuerwerksverbot #Böller #böllerverbot #böllerfrei
    Bild: Böllerhände (hands after firework) #Karma #DarwinAward #NaturalSelection

  7. Allen, die sich an #Silvester beim #Feuerwerk mit selbstgebastelten oder nicht zugelassenen, aus dem Ausland illegal importierten #Böllern verletzen, möchte ich, ganz unabhängig von irgendwelchen #Verboten, folgende Worte sagen:
    Schlaua durch aua. (smarter by ouch)
    #Silvester #Feuerwerksverbot #Böller #böllerverbot #böllerfrei
    Bild: Böllerhände (hands after firework) #Karma #DarwinAward #NaturalSelection

  8. Of course, you need to be sensible when you're first starting out. Don't mess with #dangerous things. You don't start repairing hydraulic systems or mains-voltage gear or machines that can take your arm off if you sneeze wrong.

    Start with simple stuff, and basic safety precautions.

    You can try #electrical stuff, as long as you unplug it and short any big capacitors (large cylindrical things) it has, in case they don't have a bleed resistor on them.

    Even better is to start with something that plugs in with an external low-voltage plugpack - it's much harder to kill yourself with a tower fan that runs from 24 VDC than one that runs directly off the mains.

    Maybe do a brief web search on the device if you're not sure about it, just to see if there are warnings about working on it.

    Surprising (in some sense) things to avoid working on:

    Microwave oven. This is the object in your house that is trying hardest to kill you. High frequency, high-voltage AC will kill you dead if you get it across your body.

    Old-fashioned CRT (TV/monitor) tubes. Very high voltages, and frequently hold a charge for a long time.

    Gas-powered equipment. You can't "unplug" them, and there's always a chance there's enough gas hidden in the carburetor or the removed spark plug wire bumps into the plug that it could puff to life if you turn the crankshaft. One revolution is enough to maim or kill you.

    Have fun!

    2/2

    #danger #DangerWillRobinson #DIY #fixit #DarwinAward #NaturalSelection

  9. A quotation from Bill Watterson

       CALVIN: Isn’t it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humor? When you think about it, it’s weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it’s funny. Don’t you think it’s odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?
       HOBBES: I suppose if we couldn’t laugh at things that don’t make sense, we couldn’t react to a lot of life.
       CALVIN: (after a pause) I can’t tell if that’s funny or really scary.

    Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
    Calvin and Hobbes (1991-03-03)

    More about this quote: wist.info/watterson-bill/81815…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #billwatterson #calvinandhobbes #absurdity #evolution #existence #humancondition #humannature #humor #incomprehensibility #laughter #life #makesense #naturalselection #nonsense #reality #senseofhumor

  10. Redheads are ‘spreading across the globe’ as humans are still evolving | World | News

    Britain’s Prince Harry may have done more to boost the profile of redheads than he has for the…
    #NewsBeep #News #Health #Evolution #GB #geneticvariants #humanevolution #naturalselection #Redheads #UK #UnitedKingdom #Variant
    newsbeep.com/uk/542048/

  11. 15-Apr-2026
    Massive #ancientDNA study reveals #naturalSelection has accelerated in recent human evolution
    Hundreds of genes selected in West Eurasia since farming began, many linked to health

    eurekalert.org/news-releases/1

    #science #genome #humans #humanEvolution

  12. #AI #Darwin Awards proudly continue this noble tradition by honouring #visionaries who looked at artificial #intelligence—a technology capable of reshaping civilisation—and thought.

    You know what this needs? Less #safety testing and more venture capital!

    These brave pioneers remind us #NaturalSelection isn’t just for #biology anymore

    Why stop at individual acts of spectacular stupidity when you can scale up to global proportions?

    aidarwinawards.org/

  13. “Darwin’s theory of #evolution by #naturalselection plays the role of #semantic #darkmatter in relation to the second law of #thermodynamics, reconciling the local, and perhaps even transiently global, increase in functional order in the face of #entropy increase” open.substack.com/pub/sfiscien...

    The Problem of Translation & S...

  14. “Darwin’s theory of #evolution by #naturalselection plays the role of #semantic #darkmatter in relation to the second law of #thermodynamics, reconciling the local, and perhaps even transiently global, increase in functional order in the face of #entropy increase” open.substack.com/pub/sfiscien...

    The Problem of Translation & S...

  15. “Darwin’s theory of #evolution by #naturalselection plays the role of #semantic #darkmatter in relation to the second law of #thermodynamics, reconciling the local, and perhaps even transiently global, increase in functional order in the face of #entropy increase” open.substack.com/pub/sfiscien...

    The Problem of Translation & S...

  16. “Darwin’s theory of #evolution by #naturalselection plays the role of #semantic #darkmatter in relation to the second law of #thermodynamics, reconciling the local, and perhaps even transiently global, increase in functional order in the face of #entropy increase” open.substack.com/pub/sfiscien...

    The Problem of Translation & S...

  17. “Darwin’s theory of #evolution by #naturalselection plays the role of #semantic #darkmatter in relation to the second law of #thermodynamics, reconciling the local, and perhaps even transiently global, increase in functional order in the face of #entropy increase” open.substack.com/pub/sfiscien...

    The Problem of Translation & S...

  18. Why Did It Take So Long to Understand #Evolution By #NaturalSelection?

    youtube.com/watch?v=F8iBCly2Jc

    In this conversation, host #NeildeGrasseTyson and guest #RichardDawkins reflect on #philosopher #DanielDennett’s view that #Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is the greatest idea ever conceived. They explore why this insight took so long to arise in #human #history, despite centuries of #philosophical #reasoning.

  19. All selection — and indeed all phenomena — are ultimately natural. The farmed strain is selected by the farmer for greater nutrient yield because the farmer strain is selected by nature for greater nutrient seeking.

    #naturalSelection #evolution #artificialSelection

  20. A quotation from Robert Ingersoll

    There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments — there are consequences.

    Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
    Essay (1881-08) “The Christian Religion,” “Is All of the Bible Inspired?” ch. 2, North American Review, Vol. 133, No. 297

    More about this quote: wist.info/ingersoll-robert-gre…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #robertingersoll #robertgreeningersoll #consequences #God #morality #natural #naturalselection #nature #outcomes #punishment #results #reward #causeandeffect

  21. ...and the environment selects !

    As someone with long term interests in #HorizontalGeneTransfer , I'm really interested in this new research exploring environment-specific selection of #plasmid adaptive traits in #bacteria

    Find out more in this new research in mBio on:

    journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/m

    #evolution #naturalselection #microbiology
    #ecology

  22. #PSA: this is your periodic reminder that “survival of the fittest” is NOT about physical fitness* – it means “the best fit for the local environment, which allows an organism to survive, reproduce, and pass on its traits to its offspring”

    e.g. people who have the genetically inherited disease sickle cell anaemia are generally “less fit” (in a physical fitness / life expectancy sense) than those who don’t have it, but in areas where malaria is endemic, having sickle cell anaemia provides a degree of immunity from the worst symptoms of malaria^ – so people with sickle cell anaemia are “the best fit” (or “the fittest”) for the local environment compared to those who don’t have it 💁‍♀️

    #SurvivalOfTheFittest
    #NaturalSelection
    #biology101
     
     
     
    ^ this is simplified, for more nuance (esp. heterozygosity vs. homozygosity) start at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle_c

  23.  A sweeping new review of five decades of scientific literature finds robust evidence that natural selection operates simultaneously across multiple levels of life, from genes to groups to entire communities, and not just on individual organisms.
    #evolution #naturalselection #biodiversity

    newswise.com/articles/landmark

  24. How/Why did giraffes evolve to have a big neck like they have? My simplistic mind only thinks about eating from high places. I've been thinking about unique animals.

    #evolution #NaturalSelection #evolutionary_biology

  25. Natural Selection Operates Across Diverse Scales, From Molecules to Ecosystems

    Natural selection, the process that drives evolution, acts on many levels, from tiny molecules to large ecosystems, changing how we understand life's development.

    #NaturalSelection, #Evolution, #Biology, #Science, #Life

    newsletter.tf/natural-selectio

  26. Good morning. 🦆🪿🦢

    14 January 2026

    I often find myself wondering why some people can’t wrap their heads around concepts that seem completely obvious. I’ve got a saying for it: “We’re not all issued the same toolkit.” I don’t claim to be the smartest guy in the room, but I’m still amazed at how often I’ve watched people struggle with things that feel straightforward. Education plays a role, sure, but it doesn’t fully account for what I’ve seen.

    Take natural selection, for example. I don’t have much formal education in biology, yet the basic logic of natural selection—survival of the fittest—has always made sense to me. It isn’t hard to grasp how tiny changes, stretched across vast spans of time, can accumulate and produce new species. Once you see that mechanism, you can’t unsee it. And yet some people, as I’ve said, just don’t get it… or maybe they refuse to.

    I’m not trying to wander into theology, but belief systems absolutely shape this particular conversation. For many folks, understanding evolution feels like betraying their faith, so they choose not to understand. I’ve seen it firsthand—students in college biology classes arguing with the instructor, practically ready to cover their ears and hum just to avoid hearing the explanation. I’m exaggerating, but only a little. People get emotional about this stuff.

    C’est la vie. What can you do.

    “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” — Carl Jung

    “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so.” — Lemony Snicket

    “Evolution is one of the shattering ideas that overturns past hopes and assumptions.” — Stephen Jay Gould

    “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.” — Charles Darwin

    #photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #morning #knowledge #naturalselection #biology #ducks #geese #thought

  27. “Tinder for Nazis” hit by 100GB data leak, thousands of users exposed
    Published: 2 January 2026

    cybernews.com/security/investi

    The leak affects:
    • WhiteDate, a white supremacist dating site for “Europids seeking tribal love,”
    • WhiteChild, a white supremacist site focused on family and ancestry, and
    • WhiteDeal, a networking and professional development site for people with a racist worldview.

    #Incels #MAGA #Trump #NaturalSelection #groyper

  28. Dark-eyed juncos living in urbanized Los Angeles have shorter bills than juncos in nearby natural areas— but while UCLA was closed for COVID-19 safety, campus juncos evolved longer bills again

    doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2520996122

    #evolution #NaturalSelection #UrbanEvolution #bird

  29. How Did #Hands #Evolve? Look to Your Anus, a New Study Suggests.
    The evolutionary blueprint for hands was borrowed in part from a much older genetic plan for our nether regions, a new study suggests.
    It turns out that hands and #feet were not the products of new #genes doing new things. Rather, through #naturalselection, pieces of old genetic recipes for ancient body parts were cobbled together into new combinations.
    nytimes.com/2025/09/17/science
    archive.ph/jgEjV

  30. Good morning. 🦌🦌🦌

    5 September 2025

    When You Look Into the Face of Another Animal

    When you look into the face of another animal, what do you see?

    And by another animal, I mean one other than yourself. Humans are part of the animal world, you know—just another species, all dressed up. Putting clothes on an animal doesn’t make it not so, does it?

    Sure, we’re smarter. Top of the food chain, allegedly. But it doesn’t take a high level of geniosity to look at other mammals and see that we’re simply a variation in design. You can use your beliefs to explain the differences if you like. But the similarities? They’re plain to see.

    I stick with the scientific explanations—natural selection and all that. But I’m getting off track.

    When you look into the face of another animal, do you see a thinking, living, feeling creature? Because if you really take the time to notice, that’s what you’ll see.

    A couple of days ago, while mowing my lawn, I stopped cold. There—on a trail that cuts through the forest—stood a huge, regal-looking buck. Right in the middle of the path. Staring at me.

    We both held still for a few seconds. I reached to turn off the mower, and when I looked up, he was gone.

    Of course, those moments always happen when I don’t have my camera

    “We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals… In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained.” — Henry Beston, The Outermost House

    #morning #deer #animals #naturalselection #belief

  31. #Evolution refers to change in a biological population's inherited traits from generation to generation. All species on Earth originated by the mechanism of evolution, through descent from common ancestors. Evolution occurs as changes accumulate over generations. Charles Darwin recognized evolution by natural selection, also called "descent with modification", as the fundamental process underlying all of life, whether viewed at a large scale above the level of species (#macroevolution — in terms of formation of new species, changes within lineages, and extinction), or at a small scale within a species (#microevolution — in terms of change in gene frequency). In a nutshell, evolution by natural selection can be simplified to the following principles: 1) Variability 2) Differential Fitness 3) Heredity

    #commondescent #naturalselection #charlesdarwin #RationalWiki
    rationalwiki.org/wiki/Evolutio

  32. #introduction
    Hi fellow ecoevo socialites! My name is Walid Mawass and I hail from the small country of Lebanon, currently in the US (previously Canada and France). I count myself as an #evolutionarygeneticist, my research interests focus on #naturalselection and #geneticvariation. I work with both #quantitativegenetics and #populationgenetics models, heavy on the computation. I am currently working on #mutationload and #populationdynamics. Other interests include #music #policy #education