OpinionOctober 24, 2024
The Daring Russian Geneticist Whose Experiments on Silver Foxes Explained Domestication Has Died
Lyudmila Trut devoted her life to studying the process of domestication by selectively breeding friendly foxes
Stories by Lee Alan Dugatkin
Lee Alan Dugatkin is a professor of biology at the University of Louisville. His newest book is Dr. Calhoun’s Mousery: The Strange Tale of a Celebrated Scientist, a Rodent Dystopia, and the Future of Humanity (University of Chicago Press 2024). Follow Dugatkin on Facebook at facebook.com/lee.dugatkin/.
EcologyMay 14, 2024
Humans Are Driving a New Kind of Evolution in Animals
Anthropogenic evolution is affecting species across the planet
OpinionApril 15, 2022
Social Animals Seek Power in Surprisingly Complex Ways
It’s not just physical combat—animals have a host of strategies for building clout
EvolutionMay 1, 2017
Wild Foxes Can Be Transformed into Pets in a Few Generations
To test ideas of animal domestication, a bold experiment in Siberia put evolution on a fast track
EvolutionJune 1, 2015
Animals Have Their Version of Facebook, Too
In a wide variety of species, who befriends whom strongly influences how individuals and the larger group behave
EvolutionSeptember 13, 2011
The Prince of Evolution: Peter Kropotkin's Adventures in Science and Politics
In his new book, Lee Alan Dugatkin tells the tale of one of the world's first modern international celebrities, whose writings shared the common thread of a scientific law of mutual aid, which guided the evolution of all life on Earth
The SciencesApril 1, 1998
How Females Choose Their Mates
Females often prefer to mate with the most flamboyant males. Their choice may be based on a complex interaction between instinct and imitation