Survival of the Boring Doesn’t Drive Evolution

“ Survival of the boring” describes a traditional view that evolution favours unremarkable, generalist species over innovation. Find out how a new study challenges that assumption by showing that diversity and innovation often drive evolutionary success.

Not everyone is a fan of raccoons, but I’ve always admired them. They can be a nuisance if I forget to latch my composting bin on garbage day, and they find their way into it.

Even so, their intelligence, ingenuity and versatility impress me. I also appreciate the way they’ve changed with the times and adapted to our ever-expanding urban environments.

Of course, that’s not always desirable from a human point of view. People who’ve had raccoons move into their attic or chimney probably don’t share my enthusiasm for these omnivorous mammals.

Evolution Favours Generalists — Survival of the Boring

According to conventional science, raccoons are one of those generalist species that evolution favours through a kind of survival of the boring. Since the dawn of modern science, ecologists have thought that mammals that…