![[Two large sperm cells are coiled up next to each other within a male’s testis (photo by Romano Dallai).]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/02/bifurca_sperm.jpg)
The drive to reproduce has led to many of the flashiest traits observed in nature. For instance, male deer use antlers to fight one another for access to female mates, while male peacocks display their extravagant tails to impress peahens. These are examples of sexually selected traits, or traits that increase reproductive success. Sexually selected traits evolve because they increase “fitness”…
Tag: reproduction
Welcome to the Weaver Lab: An interview with Dr. Lesley Weaver
![[Dr. Lesley Weaver poses for a head shot wearing a bright, cobalt blue top, smiling facing the camera, and wearing her black, curly hair down and parted on the side.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-26-at-2.58.27-PM.png)
Dr. Lesley Weaver, an alum of IU’s Department of Biology, has returned to campus as an Assistant Professor after her finishing her postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University. This past September, I had the opportunity to interview her about her experience as an early career researcher, setting up her lab, navigating IU in her new role as an Assistant Professor, and how the COVID-19 pandemic shift to online has simultaneously highlighted issues with and solutions to accessibility and diversity in academia.