Saturday, February 11, 2012

Sooty Moths

Funny, I was waffling on about natural selection and evolution to Caroline the other night (after watching a program about how plants altered Earth) and the example I chose was the peppered moth. Today I found myself reading an article on just that. It never occurred to me that the process went into reverse after the clean air act.


I have to add that this is one of the best current proofs of the theory of evolution/natural selection going.

5 comments:

Neal Asher said...

And now, on the subject of moths, how about the cyborg version: http://tinyurl.com/7ftosrq

Alex Cull said...

The DARPA cyborg moth idea is an intriguing one. I know they're now developing miniature surveillance drones (UAVs) but a cyborg moth might be better - quiet and harmless-looking.

On the subject of moths and camouflage, did you ever watch a 1997 film called Mimic, which had rather an interesting take on natural selection?

Neal Asher said...

As someone pointed out on twitter: a can of Raid will be needed for counter surveillance.

No I never saw the film. It's one I've intended to watch but it keeps slipping by me. Is it any good?

Alex Cull said...

Mimic didn't impress cinema goers at the time ("could have been worse" is the consensus, I think) but I thought it was not bad at all - decent effects and story, in a B-movie sort of way. And I very much liked the setting, an abandoned stretch of subway under New York.

Neal Asher said...

I'll have to look out for it on free view, Alex.