Yes, Valentine’s Day was the proper time to note that Canadian researchers had observed a so-called evolutionary arms race between the sexes. Those little bugs called pond skaters, in just 15 generations, have developed different physical characteristics, in this case the males longer legs with grasping hooks to hold their mate during mating, and the females spines to thwart the males. It was humorous enough to ponder the battle of the sexes. But just to be clear, these evolutionary changes are exactly what Gregor Mendel observed in the 1800s in his work with peas and then mice. Certain traits were … Continue reading Darwin vs. Mendel