Open almost any textbook dealing with biological evolution and you’ll probably find photographs of peppered moths resting on tree trunks—illustrating the classic story of natural selection in action.

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

For decades, Britain’s peppered moth has been the textbook example of how humans can rapidly drive evolution in another species. New textbooks might want to use a New Zealand stonefly instead. The ...

The peppered moth is an iconic example of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. For centuries peppered moths (Biston betularia) were common in the forests around Manchester, ...