Social Spider, <I>Anelosimus studiosus</I> (IMAGE)
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Tiny Anelosimus spiders may have a huge story to tell about evolution. University of Vermont biologist Charles Goodnight helped University of Pittsburgh scientist Jonathan Pruitt unravel the tale. And from these spiders' tangled webs, the researchers have uncovered the first-ever field-based evidence for a biological mechanism called 'group selection' contributing to local adaptation in natural populations. Evolutionary theorists have been debating the existence and power of group selection for decades. Now Pruitt and Goodnight have observed it in the wild -- as they report in the journal Nature.
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photo courtesy Judy Gallagher
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