Born in 1953 in New York City
Studied Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University and Zoology at Rutgers University
Project
The Evolution of Natural Beauty
Sexual selection by female choice has generated some of the more spectacular and aesthetically pleasing traits in the animal kingdom. Yet outside of the field of sexual selection, there is only a very poor understanding of how evolution generates these traits. I will begin work on a book that will bring this stimulating field of evolutionary biology to a larger, well-educated lay audience.
Recommended Reading
Ryan, M. J. (1985). The Túngara Frog: A Study in Sexual Selection and Communication. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- (1990). "Sensory Systems, Sexual Selection, and Sensory Exploitation." Oxford Surveys in Evolutionary Biology 7: 157-195.
- (2010). "The Túngara Frog: A Model for Sexual Selection and Communication." In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, edited by Michael D. Breed and Janice Moore, 453-461. Oxford: Elsevier Science, Academic Press.
