Ancient DNA Reveals Secrets of the “Terrifying” Dire Wolf – Famous From Game of Thrones
The iconic, prehistoric dire wolf, which prowled through Los Angeles and elsewhere in the Americas over 11 millennia ago, was a distinct species from the…
Evolution
Accounting for the Gaps in the Fossil Record of Ancient Food Webs
If you want to understand an ecosystem, look at what the species within it eat. In studying food webs — how animals and plants in…
Pioneering Research Reveals How Teeth Functioned and Evolved in Giant Mega-Sharks
A pioneering study by University of Bristol researchers finds that the evolution of teeth in the giant prehistoric shark Megalodon and its relatives was a…
Native Biodiversity Collapse in the Eastern Mediterranean – Most Native Species Are Going Locally Extinct
Most native species are going locally extinct, while introduced tropical species thrive. The coastline of Israel is one of the warmest areas in the Mediterranean…
Natural Reward Theory: A New Foundation for Biology?
A link between evolution over short time frames (microevolution) and long time frames (macroevolution) that could open new approaches to understanding some of biology’s deepest…
New Genetics Research Reveals How Earth’s Oddest Mammal Got to Be So Bizarre
Often considered the world’s oddest mammal, Australia’s beaver-like, duck-billed platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live…
Analysis of Ancient DNA Reveals Asian Migrations and Plague Outbursts
Northeastern Asia has a complex history of migrations and plague outbursts. That is the essence of an international archaeogenetic study published in Science Advances and…
Extraordinary Diversity: Unusual Sex Chromosomes of Platypus, Emu and Duck
Three papers unveil the extraordinary diversity of animal sex chromosomes. The sex chromosomes genetically define the developmental fate of an embryo to become a male…
Sharing Leftover Meat May Have Contributed to Early Dog Domestication
Humans feeding leftover lean meat to wolves during harsh winters may have had a role in the early domestication of dogs, towards the end of…
Crocodiles Have Changed Very Little Since the Age of the Dinosaurs – New Research Explains Why
New research by scientists at the University of Bristol explains how a “stop-start” pattern of evolution, governed by environmental change, could explain why crocodiles have…
From Rooftop Dweller to Vigorous Globetrotter: Researchers Discover the Secret of How Moss Spreads
University of Copenhagen researchers have discovered how mosses became one of our planet’s most widely distributed plants — global wind systems transport them along Earth’s…
Genomic Study Reveals Evolutionary Secrets of Banyan Tree and a Wasp That Coevolved With It
The banyan fig tree Ficus microcarpa is famous for its aerial roots, which sprout from branches and eventually reach the soil. The tree also has…
Big Bumblebees Memorize Locations of Best Flowers
Big bumblebees take time to learn the locations of the best flowers, new research shows. Meanwhile smaller bumblebees — which have a shorter flight range…
Study of More Than 1,400 Protein-Coding Genes Resolves Long Standing Mystery in the Evolution of Insects
A study of more than 1,400 protein-coding genes of fleas has resolved one of the longest standing mysteries in the evolution of insects, reordering their…
A Surprisingly Simple Biochemistry Rule Drives the Evolution of Useless Complexity
New study shows that proteins become biochemically addicted to complex interactions without adaptation. A new study at the University of Chicago has shown that elaborate…
Remarkable New Species of Snake Found Hidden in a Biodiversity Collection – Occupies Its Own Branch on Snake Tree of Life
Waray Dwarf Burrowing Snake occupies its own branch on snake tree of life. To be fair, the newly described Waray Dwarf Burrowing Snake (Levitonius mirus)…
New Flower From 100 Million Years Ago Brings Sunburst Holiday Beauty to 2020
Oregon State University researchers have identified a spectacular new genus and species of flower from the mid-Cretaceous period, a male specimen whose sunburst-like reach for…
A Closer Genetic Look at the Incredible, Variable Bacteria Living in Your Mouth
Researchers take a closer look at the genomes of microbial communities in the human mouth. Bacteria often show very strong biogeography — some bacteria are…