#PSA: this is your periodic reminder that “survival of the fittest” is NOT about physical fitness* – it means “the best fit for the local environment, which allows an organism to survive, reproduce, and pass on its traits to its offspring”

[itgrrl@infosec.exchange]

#PSA: this is your periodic reminder that “survival of the fittest” is NOT about physical fitness* – it means “the best fit for the local environment, which allows an organism to survive, reproduce, and pass on its traits to its offspring”

e.g. people who have the genetically inherited disease sickle cell anaemia are generally “less fit” (in a physical fitness / life expectancy sense) than those who don’t have it, but in areas where malaria is endemic, having sickle cell anaemia provides a degree of immunity from the worst symptoms of malaria^ – so people with sickle cell anaemia are “the best fit” (or “the fittest”) for the local environment compared to those who don’t have it ‍️

#SurvivalOfTheFittest
#NaturalSelection
#biology101
 
 
 
^ this is simplified, for more nuance (esp. heterozygosity vs. homozygosity) start at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle_cell_disease?wprov=sfti1#Malaria