How natural selection helps design antennas, cancer treatments and adhesives

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · May 26, 2026 · 1257 words · By Owen D Jones

Applied Biology Evolutionary Psychology Biomimicry

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What to know about Applied Biology

The author argues that the principles of natural selection can be applied to solve complex problems in engineering, medicine, law, and economics. The text provides examples such as NASA antenna design, adaptive cancer therapy, and biomimetic engineering to illustrate the practical value of evolutionary logic.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

For a small satellite, the agency needed a tiny antenna, with very specific communication capabilities and very strict limits on size and weight.

Why it matters

The agency gave the problem to a design team adept at simulating the way natural selection engineers solutions.

Common ground

Design using natural selection is based on a simple but powerful idea with broad applications across the world: When variation in replicable traits exists, and some variants succeed more than do others, those variants will tend to spread to larger and larger…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Applied Biology story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that a 2025 study found that heavily fished Baltic Cod became 48% shorter in length from 1996 to 2019?
How does this story connect Applied Biology with Evolutionary Psychology over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/how-natural-selection-helps-design-antennas-cancer-t…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 60% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 4

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “a 2025 study found that heavily fished Baltic Cod became 48% shorter in length from 1996 to 2019.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Web search results discuss Baltic cod recruitment and size decreases, but none specifically mention a '2025 study' finding a '48% shorter' length from 1996 to 2019.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is a herring in the family Clupeidae. It is one of the most abundant fish species in the world. Atlantic herrings can be found on both sides of the northern Atlantic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_herring

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North and Central European Pl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Sea

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lutefisk (Norwegian, pronounced [ˈlʉ̂ːtfɛsk] in Northern and parts of Central Norway, [ˈlʉ̂ːtəˌfɪsk] in Southern Norway; Swedish: lutfisk [ˈlʉ̂ːtfɪsk]; Finnish: lipeäkala [ˈlipeæˌkɑlɑ]; literally "lye…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “NASA... needed a tiny antenna, with very specific communication capabilities and very strict limits on size and weight.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general NASA information and moon base plans, but does not mention a specific tiny antenna with strict size and weight constraints.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — NASA's first orbital spaceflight was conducted by John Glenn on February 20, 1962, in the Friendship 7, making three full orbits before reentering. Glenn had to fly parts of his final two orbits manua…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · NASA.gov brings you the latest news, images and videos from America's space agency, pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.
https://www.nasa.gov/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · NASA is already ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling moon base, less than two months after the Artemis II mission.
https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-base-artemis-astronauts…

verified

Claim 3: “In Atlantic Cod, for instance, a female that is one-half as large as a 66-pound female doesn’t lay 50% of the number of eggs; she lays about 4% as many”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided contains general information about Atlantic cod and the collapse of fisheries, but does not contain the specific mathematical claim regarding egg production relative to female size (4% of eggs for half size).

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Atlantic cod (pl.: cod; Gadus morhua) is a fish of the family Gadidae, widely consumed by humans. It is also commercially known as cod or codling. In the western Atlantic Ocean, cod has a distribu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_cod

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cod (pl.: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for several other fish species, and one species that b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cod

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In 1992, Northern cod populations fell to 1% of historic levels, in large part from decades of overfishing. The Canadian Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, John Crosbie, declared a moratorium o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_of_the_Atlantic_north…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “It was built, was launched into space in 2006, and performed admirably for the planned 90-day duration of the mission.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While one source mentions the NASA team's computer simulation, and another mentions New Horizons launched in 2006, there is no evidence explicitly linking the evolutionary-designed antenna to a 2006 launch and a 90-day mission.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek ἄστρον (astron), meaning 'star', and ναύτης (nautes), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — NASA spin-off technologies are commercial products and services which have been developed with the help of NASA, through research and development contracts, such as Small Business Innovation Research …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin-off_technologies

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 5: “There is evidence that natural selection has favored the propensity of a person to notice when they are being treated inequitably, to remember who is behind it and to respond negatively”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 6: “adaptive therapy aims to keep the most dangerous cancer cells in check by preserving some of the treatment-susceptible cancer cells to compete with them.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results (including PMC) confirm that adaptive therapy involves maintaining a population of sensitive cancer cells to compete with and suppress resistant cells.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sep 22, 2025 ... This therapeutic approach retains a pool of sensitive cancer cells to compete with the therapy-resistant ones through dynamic dose modulation ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12518139/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jul 15, 2025 ... By maintaining a population of sensitive cells, we can use them as natural competitors to suppress the growth of resistant cells ...
https://www.anticancerfund.org/en/news/adaptive-therapy-show…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jan 17, 2026 ... Historically, adaptive therapy represents a dynamic cancer treatment paradigm that emphasizes continuous adjustment of therapeutic decisions ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13083726/

help

Claim 7: “The nose of a Japanese bullet train, for example, was redesigned based on the beak of a kingfisher”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.

schedule

Claim 8: “people tend to value an item they have just acquired far above the maximum price they would have paid to acquire it. This tendency, known as the endowment effect”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 9: “over-using antibiotics has helped to foster the rise of bacteria resistant to antibiotics.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent authoritative sources (CDC, Mayo Clinic, and a research paper) confirm that the overuse of antibiotics contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 22, 2024 ... Antibiotics can save lives, but any time antibiotics are used, they can cause side effects and contribute to the development of antibiotic ...
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/data-research/facts-stats…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge, which has accelerated by the overuse of antibiotics worldwide. Increased antimicrobial ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4232501/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This can lessen the growth of antibiotic resistance. What causes antibiotic resistance? Bacteria resist a drug when the bacteria change in some way.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health…

schedule

Claim 10: “people are far better at calculating the conditional probabilities of various risks when those are expressed in natural frequencies, such as “3 out of 10,” than when expressed in the modern language of statistics, such as “0.3” or “30%.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “A gecko’s ability to walk upside down on glass... inspired a new class of adhesives.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 12: “The remarkably strong and tough scales of the Brazilian pirarucu... inspired new approaches to improving body-armor.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.

check_circle

Claim 13: “a design outperformed a human-designed version – with stronger signal, greater range and lower energy use – and took less time to develop.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results explicitly state that the evolutionary design outperformed the human-designed version in signal strength, range, energy use, and development time.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... ... design outperformed a human-designed version – with stronger signal, greater range and lower energy use – and took less time to develop. It ...
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/how-natural-selectio…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... ... design outperformed a human-designed version – with stronger signal, greater range and lower energy use – and took less time to develop. It ...
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/how-natural-selection-helps-d…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The rapid evolution of wireless communication systems, including 5G/6G networks, IoT ecosystems, satellite communications, and joint sensing applications, ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209044792…

check_circle

Claim 14: “The NASA team adapted that idea [natural selection] to work inside a computer.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results from the same source/topic ('How natural selection helps design antennas...') explicitly state that the NASA team adapted the idea of natural selection to work inside a computer to design an antenna.

travel_explore

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.