Evolution in just 15 years

By Valerie Vande Panne

Nov 5, 2014 at 9:20 pm

Audio By Carbonatix

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While MT's Lee DeVito and Michael Jackman spent last weekend learning about Creationism, scientists at Harvard recently published a paper looking at the evolution of green anoles, a type of lizard native to the United States. In 20 generations over just 15 years, the green anole has "evolved larger toe pads equipped with more sticky scales to allow for better climbing."

The evolution was apparently induced by the introduction of an invasive species, the brown anole.

You can read the paper, published in the journal Science, here.

(Someone alert one Dr. Bergman—perhaps he can partner with the researchers for that Mercedes.)