The brighter the colors, the more popular the butterfly will be with the females. A new study from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) finds that a female’s mating decisions are largely based on traits that reflect fitness or those that help males perform well under the local ecological conditions. The study settles a long debate in evolutionary biology about the surprising commonality of traits that play a crucial role in both survival and mate choice. To read more, visit the NIMBioS website.