How Artificial Selection Works With Animals

How Artificial Selection Works With Animals Artificial selection involves mating two individuals within a species that have the traits desired for the offspring. Unlike natural selection, artificial selection isnt random and is controlled by the desires of humans. Animals, both domesticated and wild animals now in captivity, are often subjected to artificial selection by humans to get the ideal animal in looks, demeanor, or other desired characteristics. Darwin and Artificial Selection Artificial selection isnt a new practice. Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, used artificial selection to help bolster his work as he came up with the idea of natural selection and the Theory of Evolution. After traveling on the HMS Beagle to South America and, perhaps most notably, the Galapagos Islands, where he observed finches with differently shaped beaks, Darwin wanted to see if he could reproduce this type of change in captivity. Upon his return to England, Darwin bred birds. Through artificial selection over several generations, Darwin was able to create offspring with desired traits by mating parents that possessed those traits. Artificial selection in birds could include color, beak shape and length, size, and more. Benefits of Artificial Selection Artificial selection in animals can be a profitable endeavor. For instance, many owners and trainers will pay top dollar for racehorses with particular pedigrees. Champion racehorses, after they retire, are often used to breed the next generation of winners. Musculature, size, and even bone structure can be passed down from parent to offspring. If two parents can be found with the desired racehorse characteristics, theres an even greater chance that the offspring will also have the championship traits that owners and trainers desire. A common example of artificial selection in animals is dog breeding. As with racehorses, particular traits are desirable in different breeds of dogs that compete in dog shows. The judges look at coat coloring and patterns, behavior, and even teeth. While behaviors can be trained, there is also evidence that some behavioral traits are passed down genetically. Even among dogs not entered in shows, certain breeds have become more popular. Newer hybrids such as the Labradoodle, a mix between a Labrador retriever and a poodle, and the puggle, which comes from breeding a pug and a beagle, are in high demand. Most people who like these hybrids enjoy the uniqueness and the look of the new breeds. Breeders choose the parents based on traits they feel will be favorable in the offspring. Artificial Selection in Research Artificial selection in animals also can be used for research. Many labs use rodents such as mice and rats to perform tests that arent ready for human trials. Sometimes the research involves breeding mice to get the trait or gene to be studied in the offspring. Conversely, some labs research the lack of certain genes. In that case, mice without those genes are bred to produce offspring lacking that gene so they can be studied. Any domesticated animal or animal in captivity can undergo artificial selection. From cats to pandas to tropical fish, artificial selection in animals can mean the continuation of an endangered species, a new type of companion animal, or a lovely new animal to look at. While these traits may never come about through natural selection, they are achievable through breeding programs. As long as humans have preferences, there will be an artificial selection in animals to make sure those preferences are met.

Get your marketing ready for 2019 with these trends

Get your marketing ready for 2019 with these trends Marketing has existed in one form or another since the dawn of capitalism itself. And it’ll exist as long as there are products and services for sale. That said, it does evolve and adapt to the world around it. Billboards and signage were followed by radio ads, which led to television spots, and finally, to the digital marketing we see today. The ad men of the 50s and 60s might not recognize the form, but the goal remains the same: right product, right person, right time. Marketing is nothing if not able to go with the flow. So what’s next for it as we enter 2019? Here are three trends to keep an eye on in the coming year. 2019 Templates to get Organized Before we dig into trends, download these 2019 tools to get organized in the new year. Youll get: Marketing Plan Outline Template (Word): Document your entire 2019 marketing plan. Marketing Strategy Template (Excel): Plan every part of your strategy. Content Marketing Strategy Template (PowerPoint): Plan  tactics  and  channels  to complement your strategy. Email Marketing Strategy Template (PowerPoint): Email is a big part of marketing in 2019; use this template to get it right. Social Media Strategy Template (PowerPoint): Start the year off right with a clear social media roadmap. Audience Persona Template (Word): Finally get all your user personas on track for the year. Marketing Budget Template (Excel):   New year, new budget! The Arrival of Voice Search Voice search is taking over in a big, big way, and there’s no reason to believe it’ll slow down anytime soon. Popular digital assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant have fundamentally changed the way we interact with our mobile devices, to say nothing of how we search and consume information. Then, of course, we also have the prevalence of smart speaker systems like Amazon’s Echo, Google’s Home, and Apple’s Homepod. It’s no stretch to think that we may say ‘goodbye’ to manual data entry entirely in the not-too-distant future. Consider: Half of all online searches will be conducted via voice by 2020 Gartner predicts that nearly one-third of searches will be conducted without a screen  by the same year Nearly 40% of adults use voice search  at least once each day Voice shopping accounted for roughly $1.8 billion in 2017, but will reach $40+ billion by 2022 U.S. voice-enabled digital assistant users are growing by leaps and bounds, and are expected to top 39 million millennials, 17 million Gen Xers, and 10 million baby boomers  by 2019 Image Source The writing is on the wall, or more accurately, being spoken aloud: voice search is here to stay. What does that mean for you and your marketing? Plenty. Kenneth Burke, Marketing Director at Text Request, says that â€Å"Google and other search engines have already been tailoring search results to match speech, meaning conversational writing and SEO is increasingly more effective than keyword-targeted writing.† Consider your own interaction with Google or Siri for a moment. We don’t ask for information the same way we would type it, opting to say ‘Hey Siri, where’s the nearest coffee shop?’ whereas we might have typed ‘coffee shops Seattle’. That switch in tone and structure needs to be reflected in your marketing copy. It’ll need to be written conversationally so the voice-enabled assistants can read it aloud and present results the way people talk. Furthermore, Burke believes there will be â€Å"a continual focus on search intent  rather than word choice, and my bet is this will play an even more significant role in 2019.† What do people want, and how do they ask for it?