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monarch butterfly

Monarch_butterfly
Photo: Monarch butterfly, by Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lee Spetner Took Aim at Natural Selection and Population Genetics

Spetner, a PhD from MIT, discusses natural selection, what it can and cannot do. Read More ›
2560px-Spiny-cheeked_Honeyeater_3434_-_Patchewollock_Conservation_Reserve
Photo: Australian honeyeater, by JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lee Spetner’s Nonrandom Evolutionary Hypothesis

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Lee Spetner, MIT-trained physicist. Dr. Spetner was 91 years old and lived in Jerusalem. Read More ›
Monarch butterly
Photo credit: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Battle Butterflies

Every year, around a billion monarchs travel from across North America to gather overwinter in a few specific locations in Mexico. Read More ›
Arctic tern
Photo: An Arctic tern, by AWeith, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Watch: Animal Algorithms and the Bluff of Darwinism

Human navigation technology is just catching up to what animals like these can do by instinct. Read More ›
Monarch butterfly
Photo: Monarch butterfly, by liz west from Boxborough, MA [CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons.

For Evolution, Monarch Butterfly Migration Is a Mystery

It typically takes up to three generations of butterflies to make the complete journey. This means that the navigation information is genetically programmed. Read More ›
Monarch butterfly
Photo: Monarch butterfly, by liz west from Boxborough, MA [CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons.

Genius in Lilliput

Complex programmed behaviors are evident throughout the animal kingdom, but in these pages the focus will primarily be on less advanced animals. Read More ›
Arctic tern
Photo: An Arctic tern, by AWeith, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

New Book Spotlights High Tech Animal Navigation

Meet the animal kingdom’s most stunning navigators — the Arctic tern, homing pigeons, the monarch butterfly, and the desert ant, among others. Read More ›
DandelionPuff-spreading-sunset

Mathematics, Biology, and Awesome Wonder

“Infinite Patterns” starts with a simple triangle and builds to the most magnificent representations of human and nature’s designs. Read More ›
hummingbird robot
Image: Hummingbird and hummingbird robot, from “Hummingbird Robots: Naturally Intriguing,” via Purdue University (screen shot). 

Updates on Design of Life Heroes

Since the films showcased their exquisite designs, more discoveries increase the wonder of hummingbirds, sea turtles, and butterflies. Read More ›
fairy circles
intelligent design
Photo: An aerial view of fairy circles in Western Australia, by Stephan Getzin/University of Göttingen, via EurkeAlert!

Fairy Circles, Spider Silk, Epigenetics, and More: Intelligent Design in the News

So-called “fairy circles” yielded to a natural explanation, according to a research team: they are abandoned termite mounds. Now, however, another natural theory is rising. Read More ›

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