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Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World - And Us
Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin's Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World - And Us | Richard O Prum
8 posts | 3 read | 17 to read
A major reimagining of how evolutionary forces work, revealing how mating preferences--what Darwin termed "the taste for the beautiful"--create the extraordinary range of ornament in the animal world. In the great halls of science, dogma holds that Darwin's theory of natural selection explains every branch on the tree of life: which species thrive, which wither away to extinction, and what features each evolves. But can adaptation by natural selection really account for everything we see in nature? Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum--reviving Darwin's own views--thinks not. Deep in tropical jungles around the world are birds with a dizzying array of appearances and mating displays: Club-winged Manakins who sing with their wings, Great Argus Pheasants who dazzle prospective mates with a four-foot-wide cone of feathers covered in golden 3D spheres, Red-capped Manakins who moonwalk. In thirty years of fieldwork, Prum has seen numerous display traits that seem disconnected from, if not outright contrary to, selection for individual survival. To explain this, he dusts off Darwin's long-neglected theory of sexual selection in which the act of choosing a mate for purely aesthetic reasons--for the mere pleasure of it--is an independent engine of evolutionary change. Mate choice can drive ornamental traits from the constraints of adaptive evolution, allowing them to grow ever more elaborate. It also sets the stakes for sexual conflict, in which the sexual autonomy of the female evolves in response to male sexual control. Most crucially, this framework provides important insights into the evolution of human sexuality, particularly the ways in which female preferences have changed male bodies, and even maleness itself, through evolutionary time. The Evolution of Beauty presents a unique scientific vision for how nature's splendor contributes to a more complete understanding of evolution and of ourselves.
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

An interesting look at Darwin‘s second theory of evolution, which involves the selection of beauty by mating pairs, driving selection of traits. (Apparently this theory had little favor early on as it gave far too much agency to females, god forbid.) There is definitely interesting information here, but I will admit to having trouble paying attention at times in the drier spots.

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Jessicareadingwala
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“Throughout the living world whenever the opportunity has arisen, the subjective experiences and cognitive choices of animals have aesthetically shaped the evolution of biodiversity. The history of beauty in nature is a vast and never-ending story.”

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MrBook
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Today's author spotlight: Charles Darwin! Well, this is different than the other spotlight posts. This is more of an #LNN and a #TBRtemptation post rolled into one. 😁 https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/books/review/evolutio... #AuthorPotpourri #TheMoreYouKnow

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Misanthropester
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"something importNt was at stake here"--indeed! This was the moment that Derek & Jakob were certain they'd discovered the color of dinosaurs #science

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Misanthropester
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Aesthetic Evolution #science

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Misanthropester
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I love seeing scientists I know in the books I'm reading, just makes me happy

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Misanthropester
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Today's #bookmail is heavy on #science

Mdargusch I love the cover! 7y
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BethFishReads
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Started this audiobook today. Rounding out Darwin's theory of natural selection with his theory of sexual selection & female choice to explain the evolution of beauty, especially in birds. #audiobook going back to my roots & my grad school days.

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