4 Things You Didn't Know About Evolution

4 Things You Didn't Know About Evolution

Flora Wichers

1. Darwin’s theory of evolution spawned an unfortunate movement called Social Darwinism. Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, which stated that organisms (NOT individual people or animals) who adapt to their environments will see their species thrive in subsequent generations. To give a modern example, this means that the species that can adapt to and survive the rapidly warming climate have the greatest resistance to extinction. Unfortunately, his principles were misconstrued to mean that only the “fittest” humans – the successful, wealthy, and intelligent – were “meant” and “fit” to reproduce. In this view, social welfare and social justice is unnatural and unnecessary.

 

2. Humans are the only species that have evolved to show a great deal of white in their eyes. This is thought to be due to the overwhelming role of society in a human’s life. Having white surrounding our eyes makes it easier for others to pinpoint where we are looking. Our survival is quite literally based on our social skills and standing, and eye movement conveys a wealth of social cues (e.g. length of eye contact, ascertaining mood).

 

3. The Farm Fox experiment, beginning in 1959 Soviet Russia, found that selectively breeding the tamest foxes (i.e. only allowing the friendliest foxes to breed with one another) led the foxes to behave like dogs! Over the next few decades, the foxes showed changes in genetic makeup, phenotype or observable characteristics (i.e. floppy ears, more dog-like appearance), and behavior. The foxes began to seek human attention, whimper when humans left them, would give the researchers their paw, wag their tail, and lick the scientists. The researchers concluded that the foxes became, to an extent, domesticated.

 

4. Selective breeding is also common in dogs, although too often for the wrong reasons. The pug was bred to have a flatter face because it was popular with customers – but this led to a number of respiratory issues that many flat-faced dogs suffer with throughout their lives. Other selective breeding initiatives have been more noble – the German Shepherd was bred in order to create working dogs. Without paying any mind to how “cute” these dogs were, German Shepherds were valued for their intelligence, emotional stability, trainability, and temperament. However, recent research has noted that selective breeding may have resulted in a greater vulnerability to arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, among many other breed-specific health issues. Selective breeding of dogs is a controversial issue, with many animal rights groups claiming that it is a cruel practice.

 

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