How Hydra – A Group of Small Aquatic Animals – Regenerate Their Own Heads
A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, published by Oxford University Press, maps out for the first time how Hydra, which are a group of small…
Evolution
Migratory Birds Have Lighter-Colored Feathers – Here’s the Evolutionary Explanation
Migratory birds are specially adapted to find their way over extreme distances that represent remarkable tests of endurance. Now, researchers reported on December 6, 2021,…
Incredible Dinosaur Treasure Trove in Italy Rewrites History, Geography, and Evolution
A dinosaur trove in Italy rewrites the history, geography, and evolution of the ancient Mediterranean area. Italy is not exactly renowned for dinosaurs. In comparison…
Variations in Earth’s Orbit Drove Biological Evolution of Coccolithophores
Coccolithophores are microscopic algae that form tiny limestone plates, called coccoliths, around their single cells. The shape and size of coccoliths varies according to the…
Kyhytysuka: 130-Million-Year-Old Hypercarnivore “Fish Lizard” Discovered
A new 130-million-year-old swordfish-shaped marine reptile fossil sheds light on the evolution of hypercarnivory of these last-surviving ichthyosaurs. A team of international researchers from Canada,…
Meat-Eating “Vulture Bees” Sport Acidic Guts and an Extra Tooth for Biting Flesh
A little-known species of tropical bee has evolved an extra tooth for biting flesh and a gut that more closely resembles that of vultures rather…
Steering Evolution in a Better Direction: Game Theory and Economics Show How
Human behavior drives the evolution of biological organisms in ways that can profoundly adversely impact human welfare. Understanding people’s incentives when they do so is…
Why Do Humans Possess a Twisted Birth Canal? Unraveling an Evolutionary Puzzle
Extraordinary shape makes births more difficult, but guarantees stability. The relatively narrow human birth canal presumably evolved as a “compromise” between its abilities for parturition,…
Snakes Diversified Explosively After the Dinosaurs Were Wiped Out 66 Million Years Ago
Sudden burst of evolution 66 million years ago expanded snake diets and put vertebrates on the menu. The remarkable diversification of mammals and birds after…
Striking Difference Discovered Between Neurons of Humans and Other Mammals
Human neurons have fewer ion channels, which might have allowed the human brain to divert energy to other neural processes. Neurons communicate with each other…
Fast Evolution Can Lead to Nowhere: Rapidly Evolving Species More Likely To Go Extinct
Researchers at the University of Bristol have found that fast evolution can lead to nowhere. In a new study of lizards and their relatives, Dr. Jorge…
Tangles in DNA Strands Can Help Predict Evolution of Mutations
Researchers from the Milner Centre for Evolution have identified evolutionary hotspots in DNA where mutations are more likely. Tangles in unwound DNA can create mutational…
“Genetic Goldmine” Uncovered for Plant Survival in One of the Harshest Environments on Earth
Evolutionary genomics approach identifies genes that enable plants to live in the Atacama Desert, offering clues for engineering more resilient crops to face climate change….
Ancient DNA Reveals How the Ancestors of Modern Horses Migrated
Molecular biologists studied the DNA of ones that migrated from North America to Eurasia and back. An international research team determined that ancestors of modern…
Early Dinosaurs Were Social and Lived in Herds – May Have Been Key to Their Success
New research on a vast fossil site in Patagonia shows that some of the earliest dinosaurs lived in herds and suggests that this behavior may…
Rabbits the Size of Horses – Why Not?
Kyoto University examines the lack of size diversity in rabbits and hares. Next to cat videos, watching small and cuddly rabbits is probably one of…
Strange Animals That Lived Before the Dinosaurs Reveal the Evolutionary Origin of Tusks
A wide variety of animals have tusks, from elephants and walruses to five-pound, guinea pig-looking critters called hyraxes. But one thing tusked animals have in…
Resolving the “Muddle in the Middle” – Experts Name New Species of Human Ancestor
An international team of researchers, led by University of Winnipeg paleoanthropologist Dr. Mirjana Roksandic, has announced the naming of a new species of human ancestor,…