SCIENCE in your LIFE
Survival of the Fittest
By L.W.
“Survival of the fittest” is a phrase that was coined by Henry Spencer in reference to the Darwinian evolution theory. This evolution theory brought about the idea of natural selection. Natural selection is one of the basic mechanisms of evolution; it is nature’s way of picking out the organisms that are best suited to live in their environments while the others fall short. With natural selection there will always be some variations, or differences between traits of different organisms. For example, one organism might be yellow while the other is black. Due to its bright coloration, the yellow one will be killed off more than the black one will. This will lead to a reduction of the population of the yellow organism. Since they are being killed off more they will not able to reproduce as much, making the black organism the more common one. If this then continues the entire population will soon become black due to natural selection.
We as humans for the most part don’t have to worry about natural selection like animals do. We have grocery stores to supply us with food and water, and hospitals to take care of our health and birth our children. Although we aren’t victims to natural selection, this does not mean we are not involved in it. Natural selection changes species in relation to their environments over time, including the human species. The difference between animal and human species is that we are able to change the environment, adapting it to fit our needs. Animals on the other hand do not have this luxury; they have to fend for themselves, and if they are not capable they will fall short.
Please send any questions or comments to Dr. Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu )
Note: Any opinions expressed in these articles are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of Dr. Spitzer, the Department of Biological Sciences, or Marshall University.