wild oats sow themselves, using parts of their anatomy to move into crevices where they take root.

 flatworms sometimes accidentally grow heads at both ends. 

humans continue to evolve. the most recent adaptations that have occured among some groups are lactose tolerance into adulthood, tolerance of the lack of oxygen at high altitudes, resistance to arsenic poisoning, earlier onset of puberty and later onset of menopause.

 in addition to confusing predators, a zebra's stripes deter biting insects such as flies.

human beings evolved to be long-distance runners, likely to pursue prey and elude predators.

the egg came first. because of evolutionary biology, the first bird to lay a chicken egg wasn't a chicken.

every decade, the average body temperature of humans drops by 1/20th.

chimpanzees in senegal make spears and use them to hunt bushbabies.

one particular ant species is only found between 63rd and 76th street in new york city.

32% of american adults believe that life has evolved over time as the result of natural processes, without any involvement by supernatural beings.

42% of american muslims believe that evolution exists and that humans evolved from more primitive creatures. just 24% of evangelical christians believe the same thing.

the term 'meme' was coined by famed atheist and evolutionary biologist richard dawkins.

eyebrows evolved to keep sweat from running directly into your eyes.

in case you doubt evolution, consider this: all whales still have hipbones.

it's easy to make the assumption that humans have evolved beyond instinct, but anyone who has ever watched a newborn seek a nipple knows otherwise.

the prevailing theory is that human beings don't have fur like other anthropoids because we had more parasites than they did, and evolved our way to relative hairlessness as a means of shedding most of them.

beta males, rejoice! during a recession or famine, women prefer less physically fit men. this is another throwback to our early days. when food is scarce, do you want a mate that is fit and attractive and likely to leave you for someone prettier, or someone who will stick with you and bring home the bacon to you and only you because they are less likely to be able to find a more attractive mate?

we may think that we've evolved beyond that, but you have to remember that economic independence for women is less than 100 years old, and our bodies will likely take a few thousand more years to catch up with where our heads are at.

less attractive men have higher sperm counts, which makes perfect sense from a darwinian point of view. more attractive men have more opportunities to mate, so there isn't as much pressure to reproduce every time. less attractive men may only have one time at bat, and so have to make it count.

human beings did not evolve from apes. we simply share a common ancestor.

if a retailer places their men's clothes near masculine scents and their women's clothes near feminine scents, we buy more. this is true for most other products, too. we may not pay much conscious attention to smells, but they influence us just as strongly as they did when we used scent to hunt mammoths and avoid saber toothed tigers.