Constantly Sci-Tracked

Buckle up ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the thrilling sequel to the amazing tale of ' Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Lizard-...Lizard?'. For those of you who haven't read the original, you may want to start  here . But for those of you who have, let's get started.  Now if you've got a keen eye you may have noticed one fewer Lizard  in this title. That's because the female side-blotched lizards ( Uta stansburiana ) only have two colour morphs. But don't worry, their fight for population dominance is no less intense. So without any further ado, I should introduce our two contestants. The common side-blotched lizard, master of genetic Rock-Paper-Scissors. Image credit: Bryce Bradford ( Flickr ) In the orange corner  These brutal brawlers are the rapid reproducers of the species. When the orange-throated lizards lay their clutch of eggs it's not so much about who can lay the biggest, they just want to be the one to lay the most. This is called ...

If you've ever seen the TV series 'The big bang theory' then you should know about  rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock , the classic alternative to the game rock-paper-scissors . However, I bet you've never heard about the all lizard variant lizard-lizard-lizard . Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard Spock. Image credit: DMacks ( Wikimedia Commons ) Unlike the other versions, lizard-lizard-lizard is actually played in real life between lizards, and involves the competition between different colour morphs of the side-blotched lizard, all differentiated by having different coloured throats. So, without any further ado, I guess it's time to meet our contenders. In the orange corner! The big orange fighting machine. This hulk of a lizard is the 'ultra-dominant' male. These guys keep and defend a pretty large territory for lizards their size (≈100 m²). Their size and power come with some great advantages. Holding this much territory means that they have access to ...

My dog Scamp, the goodest of good boys. Author's own I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that you love cute animals? Awesome you've come to the right place. Next question, do you want to know why they evolved to become cute? Even if your answer to that second question was no, you should keep reading, I'm sure there's more than enough cuteness here to keep you satisfied. So without further ado, here's my list of the 5 cutest animals in the world (based on a comparison of Google search results, so don't blame me if your favourite wasn't included), and an explanation of why they became so cute. 5. Sea Otters They're fluffy, they hold hands and they have a favourite rock. Really what's not to love about sea otters? The hand holding is cute, but it also serves a vital purpose. Sleeping out in the ocean means these otters can easily drift off. Holding hands allows families to form a raft that stays together. Th...

It’s no secret that we love our fluffy friends. Studies have even shown that humans have evolved to release oxytocin (the love hormone) just from gazing into the eyes of our four-legged pals . But have you ever wondered how we created such lovable companions? What was the process that created our best friends? One fox, two fox, nice fox, mean fox Since 1959, Dmitry Belyaev and his student Lyudmila Trut have been running a continuous genetic experiment . Put simply, they have been raising a population of foxes and splitting them into separate groups of friendly and mean. “Why?” You ask. Belyaev wanted to replicate the domestication of dogs to prove that domestication has a genetic basis. He also wanted to link the ‘tameness’ trait to other traits commonly found in domestic species but not in their wild ancestors (more on that later). Belyaev was meticulous in ensuring that all his results were due to genetics alone. Contact with humans was kept to a minimum ...

In the animal kingdom there is one romance so tragic, it puts even Shakespeare ’s finest work to shame. That romance is the life of the antechinus. If you’re not sure wha t an antechinus is, imagine a shrew, but prettier. Actually that’s a picture of an antechinus dow n there, so maybe just look at that. A shrew but prettier. Image credit: Mel Williams ( Wikimedia Commons ) These animals live a cycle of love at first sight(s), followed by a sad and unfortunate death. So keep reading and I will recount to you the tale of two tragic lovers. Act I: Love at first sight… and second, and third, and then a few more The day would start out like almost any other for our dear Romeo, with one exception, his  testosterone  levels are beginning to skyrocket. The breeding season has begun. Romeo goes on the prowl. Heart pumping and mind racing, he searches for a partner. That’s when he sees her, his true love. Romeo dashes to Juliet, fighting off all oppone...