Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, UNSW

Will Anybody Miss the Handshake? Many will resume shaking hands, but many people will appreciate having a legitimate reason to keep their hands to themselves.

Don't forget, tomorrow night is the EERC movie night. We will be screening 'Tomorrow' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUN0QxRB7e0) and there will be free pizza! 🍕

LEVEL 2 E26, 5.30pm

E&ERC Seminar Series - Friday, 19 July w/ Dr Celine Frere

Have we avoided avoidances? | Evolution & Ecology Research Centre Most research on the evolution of social behaviour has to date focused on affiliative behaviour. This was obviously influenced by our desire to understand the evolution of cooperative behaviour; a threat to Darwin’s theory of natural selection. However, affiliation represents only one side of the ...

https://entomologytoday.org/2019/03/12/show-tell-testing-peacock-spiders-multi-modal-mating-display/

Show or Tell? Testing Peacock Spiders' Multi-Modal Mating Display Famous for their flashy colors, peacock spiders also emit vibrational signals during their mating dance. But why both kinds of courtship cues? And which kind matters more? Researchers have been studying peacock spiders to find out.

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sciencefriction/2019-03-24/10883298

Will s*x robots have no taboos? The s*xbots are coming. How will it change our s*x lives - for better and worse?

Congratulations to Centre member Daniel Falster on being awarded the 2019 Fenner Medal

Forecasting forests 2019 Fenner Medal recipient—Dr Daniel Falster, UNSW Sydney Walking through any forest, one is struck by the variety of plant forms coexisting. Given that all...

Introduced daisy changes its appearance on Australian beaches, defying evolutionary expectations In less than a century since it was introduced to Australia, the South African beach daisy has drastically changed its appearance – a clear and unusual example of rapid evolution in plants, a new study led by UNSW scientists has shown.

Earlier this year, UNSW ecologists Angela Moles and Sichong Chen published field data from 25 locations across Australia which proved that plant seeds in far-north Queensland are no better defended from predators than those in Tasmania.

The results are the latest in a series, which Angela is using to slay some zombies – or at least some zombie ideas.

In recognition of her contributions to ecology, Angela has been awarded the 2018 Australian Ecology Research Award and will present the AERA Plenary at the Ecological Society of Australia Conference in Brisbane on Wednesday 28 November.

UNSW Science UNSW BEES

Study of 1.6 million grades shows little gender difference in maths and science at school Large gaps in the representation of women in science careers later in life are not due to lack of ability in the classroom.

Gender differences in individual variation in academic grades fail to fit expected patterns for STEM Men are over-represented in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce even though girls outperform boys in these subjects at school. Here, the authors cast doubt on one leading explanation for this paradox, the ‘variability hypothesis’.

Slow and steady: our meta-analysis on greater male variability in academic performance By Rose O'Dea and Malgorzata (Losia) Lagisz