Human Creations leads to Avian Adaptations

In Nebraska, a certain species of swallows used to make their nests in cliff sides. Now, however, these swallows tend to make their nests under road bridges and near areas busy with human activity. Naturally, this leads to a lot of bird roadkill. But in recent years, the total amount of such roadkill has shrunk drastically.
A recently published study, with data collected over thirty years, has shown that these swallows have adapted to living near roads: they now have shorter wings. These wings may be only millimeters shorter, but in the professional opinion of evolutionary biologist Ronald Mumme of Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, "a little bit can make a big difference."

I chose this article because I am a firm believer in evolution, and love to see its effects on the modern world, especially changes caused by humans. However, belief doesn't really apply to science, because the great thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not.



1. Science is collaborative. Several scientists researched this phenomenon and collected the data, and others looked into and verified their results.

2. Science is based on evidence. These researchers collected this data for thirty years before drawing any observations, drawing conclusions, or publishing their results.

3. Role of credibility. There is lots of scientific evidence in favor of evolution and the process of adapting, and so this natural phenomenon is credible as it is backed up by facts and research.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/349028/description/Shorter-winged_swallows_evolve_around_highways