Sunday Share

This post marks a monumental occasion for The Blog. Today, I am posting a Sunday Share... On SUNDAY. 

Yes, thank you, thank you, you may cease the applause.

I'm proud of me too.

Today's share comes from the ever-informative Discovery News. One of my favorite parts of Sunday Share (when I get around to it of course) is the research. I love stumbling upon all the cool animal stories out there, and the hard part is choosing which to share.  Lately, I've been particularly fascinated by evolution. This is sparked partly by Boyfriend's enthusiastic passion for it and partly because the 9-year-old I nanny for just read a book about Charles Darwin, a.k.a. Coolest Scientist Ever.

THIS is an article I think is pretty amazing from an evolutionary standpoint. It reports on the findings that mammals with an uneven ratio of male to female babies tend to have more grandchildren. This is more pronounced in mammals that have more male babies than females, but it still works the other way around. From an evolutionary standpoint, it benefits mothers to produce more of one gender to increase the chances that her babies will survive. More males equals more of her genes competing for mates, increasing the chances that more than one will pass on those genes. Same thing with females. An even ratio, given the same number of offspring, means a smaller number of her babies competing on either side of the search for a mate. Better to take her chances producing many more of either one. Amazingly, findings suggest that the female body influences the sex of the babies, and environmental factors influence the females to produce either males or females. It is not a conscious decision on the female's part, but I still think it's pretty cool.


And just as a bonus, have you fellow cat owners ever wondered what in the world is so fascinating about that little red laser?? Wonder no more.



In EATM-related news, departure is three weeks from today.  I'm hanging in there.

Hugs and Belly Rubs,

Christy