perception and evidence: forum for week of 10 Oct

On the side of Mo, I would like to include an effect of evolution to the perception of data, as it applies to Australian jewel beetles. Google via: Discoverers of Beetle Sex with Beer Bottles. In a 1983 paper titled Beetles on the Bottle: Male Buprestids Mistake Stubbies for Females, biology professor Darryll Gwynne of the University of Toronto, and co-author David Rentz of Kuranda, Australia identified male jewell beetles attempting to mate with beer bootles. The mating errors have to do with the brown colour of the beer bottle, and turbercles at the bottom of the bottle to help a person grip the bottle. The turbercles reflect light in a similar way as the brown wing covers of the female jewell beetle. A September 29, 2011 Q&A internet article claims the male jewell beetles have evolved over millions of years to prefer the largest brown female they can find because the bigger females have more eggs. In this case, evolution appears to have prejudiced the male jewell beetles' perception of the data.