As a result, certain plants in warm climates have evolved a different mechanism, called C4 photosynthesis, in which other enzymes help to concentrate CO2 around the rubisco, and the initial result is a four-carbon sugar.

ECONOMIST: Genetic modification

This mechanism apparently evolved to help the body preserve a vital source of energy.

FORBES: Another Blow For Diabetes Pills

One theory is that sensitivity to bitter flavor could have evolved as a protective mechanism against poisonous plants.

WSJ: People Who Taste Too Much

Dr. Seth Blackshaw, the lead researcher, comments that hypothalamic neurogenesis may be a mechanism that evolved to help wild animals survive and probably also our ancestors.

FORBES: The Top 10 Brain Science and Psychology Stories of 2012

Unlike those trying to fight the causes of ageing or to repair the damage done, Dr Sinclair thinks he has found, in caloric restriction as the technique is known, a specifically evolved natural anti-ageing mechanism that is quite compatible with disposable-soma theory.

ECONOMIST: Abolishing ageing

It suggests that once a complicated mechanism involving a lot of different proteins has evolved, it is then difficult to change one bit without upsetting the rest.

ECONOMIST: The first complete DNA sequence of an animal is now in the bag

We as a species have evolved to be internally motivated to share value with our peers as a survival mechanism.

FORBES: Why Do Financial Advisors Fail To Ask For Referrals?