JOURNAL ARTICLE

The weird laws of life.

  • Published In: New Scientist, 2023, v. 259, n. 3447. P. 40 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Barras, Colin 3 of 3

Abstract

Or does it screw up the rest of its internal biology and lead the animal into a decline?" For instance, a bird may have adapted to forage for insects using a small, delicate beak. Van Valen's law: Inescapable extinction In the 1970s, the late biologist Leigh Van Valen reached a surprising conclusion: a species that has been on Earth for a few million years, proving itself to be a successful survivor, is just as likely to go extinct as a species that appeared just a few thousand years ago. Doing so suggests that members of large animal species that become isolated on islands tend to shrink, while small animal species tend to grow. Allen's rule: Shape-shifting to keep cool In the 1870s, zoologist Joel Asalph Allen noted something unusual about the birds and mammals of North America. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:New Scientist. 2023/07, Vol. 259, Issue 3447, p40
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0262-4079
  • DOI:10.1016/s0262-4079(23)01286-1
  • Accession Number:164826488
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of New Scientist is the property of New Scientist Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.