Podcasts

How human activity impacts animal adaptations

Perhaps the most famous example of observed evolution in a species is that of the Peppered Moth, which largely turned black in some English cities during the Industrial Revolution so as to use soot-covered trees as camouflage, and then turned back to their natural grey colour upon the advent of cleaner fuels. This demonstrates natural selection, but it also shows the impact of human activity on the species around us, and that impact has only increased and intensified in the 21st century… Patrick Greenfield is a Biodiversity and Environment Reporter for the Guardian and the Observer who has been writing about this. He joins Seán to discuss. see more