Roadkill Forcing Cliff Swallows To Evolve

sciencehabit writes "Cliff swallows that build nests that dangle precariously from highway overpasses have a lower chance of becoming roadkill than in years past thanks to a shorter wingspan that lets them dodge oncoming traffic. That's the conclusion of a new study based on 3 decades of data collected on one population of the birds. The results suggest that shorter wingspan has been selected for over this time period because of the evolutionary pressure put on the population by cars."

Comments

Re:lies, all lies

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/155003/hold-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx

"Forty-six percent of Americans believe in the creationist view that God created humans in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years. The prevalence of this creationist view of the origin of humans is essentially unchanged from 30 years ago, when Gallup first asked the question. About a third of Americans believe that humans evolved, but with God's guidance; 15% say humans evolved, but that God had no part in the process."

Re:Saw a Chipmunk Up In the Mountains

[DigiShaman]

Squirrels. They used to zig-zag back and forth (can't make up their mind) and get crushed. Now, they either wait patiently or bolt across the road when everything looked all in the clear.

But yes, it would seem the indecisive critters got weeded out.