Natural selection is one of the standing points of evolutionary biology. The struggle for survival has always made different kinds of organisms evolve and choose the best suitable partner for the reproduction. This means that some individuals are more ‘fit’ than others. They are more likely to leave the offspring with their genes and enlarge population. Leaving aside cultural factor unconscious biological impetus plays a vital role in a choice of the partner.

Charles Darwin’s most popular idea was about natural selection; however, he had one more theory, about sexual selection, which was neglected for a century probably because of the puritan Victorian society (Mota 2010). Nowadays, this is a wide field of view, enabling the science to discover mechanisms of animal and human evolution. The cornerstone of the theory is that the evolution has not ended, and although the scientists have always paid more attention to birds and fish, the natural and sexual selection are shaping the mankind too (Darwin 1899). The influence of evolutionary biology is observed in the biomedical research, microbiology, and engineering (Losos et al. 2013).

The evidence of the sexual selection’s influence is a very controversial yet very fascinating and significant topic for the research. Geoffrey Miller points out that the sexual selection can be even smarter than the natural one (Miller 2001). In his book ‘The greatest show on Earth: the evidence for evolution, Richard Dawkins states that the conscious selection is the only sensible reason for modification of species, and genetic change happens on a small scale so that it is  imperceptible ( Dawkins 2009). However, nowadays, people tend to be taller than hundred years ago and have more symmetrical facial features. Bright colors attract not only predators but also females. The sexual selection is usually stronger in males; nonetheless, women tend to choose handsome partners as well (Collerton 2009). The outer layer of the researched issue is obvious: the choice of a partner depends on physical characteristics approved by society and can be proven using church records and long-term study of appearance. (Hsu 2012). The inner layer is the study of genetic changes through the generations; the development of the human brain is also considered to be a desirable option, attractive for the opposite sex.

Although the topic of this research is extremely complicated, and the scientist all over the world are struggling to make progress in exploring the process of sexual selection, this is a new and promising direction, which can lead to amazing discoveries about life on Earth.

Bibliography

Collerton S. 2009. Evolution makes women more attractive [Internet]. Ausadcastin corporation; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-29/evolution-makes-women-more-attractive/1371676

Courtiol A, Pettay JE, Jokela M, Rotkirch A, Virpi L. 2012. Natural and sexual selection in a monogamous historical human population [Internet]. PNAS; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: http://www.pnas.org/content/109/21/8044.full.

Darwin C. 1981. The descent of man and selection in relation to sex [Internet]. Princeton (NJ) University Press; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: https://teoriaevolutiva.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/darwin-c-the-descent-of-man-and-selection-in-relation-to-sex.pdf

Dawkins R. 2009. The greatest show on Earth: the evidence for evolution [Internet]. New York (NY): A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: https://ww.qiraat.net

Hsu C. 2012. Sexual Selection Continues to Shape Human Evolution, With Men Becoming More Attractive [Internet]. Medical Daily; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: www.medicaldaily.com/sexual-selection-continues-shape-human-evolution-men-becoming-more-attractive-240305

Losos JB, Arnold SJ, Bejerano G, Brodie ED, Hibbett D, Hoekstra HE, Mindell DP, Monteiro A, Moritz C, Orr AH, Petrov DA, Renner SS, Ricklefs RE, Soltis PS, Turner TL. 2013. Evolutionary Biology for the 21st Century [Internet]. PLoS Biology; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3539946/

Miller GF. 2001. The mating mind: how sexual choice shaped the evolution of human nature [Internet]. New York (NY): Anchor Books; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: https://ontherapyaspse.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/geoffrey-miller-the-mating-mind.pdf

Mota PG. 2013. Darwin’s sexual selection theory – a forgotten idea. Antropologia Portuguesa. [Internert]. [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: https://www.uc.pt/en/cia/publica/AP_artigos/AP26.27.10_paulomota

Ridley M. 2004. Evolution [Internet]. Malden (MA): Blackwell; [cited 2017 Sep 15]. Available from: http://www.biologia.buap.mx/Evolution__3rd_Edition.pdf