Six weeks after, I did a 300km race in Sweden and completed it in less than 10 hours - my healthy mates were two or three hours behind me.
The "good genes" explanation of attractiveness posits that mate preferences favour healthy individuals due to direct and indirect benefits associated with the selection of a healthy mate.
As a result, ecologists had posited that males often evolve traits to help compete for access to healthy mates, while females choose males with traits that make for healthy offspring.
The combination of immunological capacities of healthy mates that differ confers better protection to the next generation.
As suggested by sexual selection theory, female's cognitive specialization in identifying healthy mates relates to successful mating and increases the likelihood of offspring survival.
A consistent, strong preference for masculinity throughout the menstrual cycle may reflect a preference for a healthy mate [44] which would confer benefits to the female whether or not she is at the fertile point of her cycle.
In a sense, the action of alcohol on colouration may 'hijack' mechanisms designed to promote attraction to healthy mates.
It remains unknown, therefore, whether females selecting males with good body condition simply obtain a healthy mate, or if they acquire genes for their offspring that confer high immunocompetence.
And it does appear that the females are the ones driving this process: They're evolving longer seminal receptacles (seen above coiling on top of itself under high magnification) to stiffen the competition and select for only the longest sperm from the healthiest mates.
They were healthier, mated more often, brought up more children to sexual maturity, and hence had more grandchildren.
Supported by her loving, uncaring family, Loretta eventually triumphed: She left Rex, got a job, and found a healthier mate.
