Objectively, a family, a nation, even a civilization’s measure of enduring success has to be the survival and nurturing of its progeny.

Farmers in southwest Mexico began to select the progeny of teosinte plants that produced the most grains, and the tastiest grains, more than 9,000 years ago.

This kind of teamwork can improve the chances that the progeny will survive, especially when resources are limited, Dr. Bendesky said.

In less time than it takes to say “arachnophobia,” it will escape, reproduce like a bandit and send its deadly progeny scampering into every unsealed nook and cranny.

In fact, when it was first observed in 1989 among bella moth adults, it was the only known example of a male moth or butterfly that invested any chemical resources in its progeny.