A recent study conducted by the University of Kansas may provide a solution to a long-standing mystery in the “aging process” of species. The research aims to shed light on how a species’ risk of extinction changes after its emergence.
Lead author James Saulsbury, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at KU, likened the phenomenon to the “Red Queen theory,” inspired by Lewis Carroll’s book ‘Through the Looking-Glass.’ This theory suggests that species must constantly evolve to survive, mirroring the character in Carroll’s tale.
However, the theory has faced skepticism over the years. Early investigations indicated that species of all ages faced similar extinction rates, leading to doubts about the validity of the Red Queen model. As more data was collected and analyzed, scientists increasingly found evidence contradicting the Red Queen theory.
2024-02-21 02:00:05
Original from phys.org