New View of Human Evolution Unearthed by Rare 10 Million-Year-Old Fossil [Video]
Near an old mining town in Central Europe, known for its picturesque turquoise-blue quarry water, lay Rudapithecus. For 10 million years, the fossilized ape waited…
Evolution
Guppies Unlock a Key Question About Evolution
Guppies, a perennial pet store favorite, have helped a UC Riverside scientist unlock a key question about evolution: Do animals evolve in response to the…
March of the Multiple Penguin Genomes – Extensive Study Provides Unparalleled Information
The Penguin Genome Consortium sequences all living penguin species genomes to understand the evolution of life on the ice. An article that presents the first…
World’s Largest Amphibian Discovered: New Species of Giant Salamander
74-year-old museum specimen, which once lived at ZSL London Zoo, identified as a new species of giant salamander and probably the world’s biggest amphibian. Using…
‘Earth’s Heartbeat’ – Do Animals Control Earth’s Oxygen Level?
For the first time, researchers have measured how the production of algae and the Earth’s oxygen level affect each other – what you might call…
“A Strange Sight to Behold” – Giant Kangaroo Had Crushing Bites
A new study by a University of Arkansas anthropologist suggests feeding habits of an extinct kangaroo species were similar to the modern-day giant panda. An…
Frightening 500-Million-Year-Old Predator Unveils the Rise of Scorpions and Spiders
Two paleontologists working on the world-renowned Burgess Shale have revealed a new species, called Mollisonia plenovenatrix, which is now considered to be the oldest chelicerate….
Ground-Breaking Molecular Method to Reconstruct the Evolution of All Species
By looking into fossil teeth from almost 2 million years old rhinos, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Cambridge launch a new molecular method…
First Day of Dinosaur Extinction Recorded by Rocks at Asteroid Impact Site
When the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs slammed into the planet, the impact set wildfires, triggered tsunamis and blasted so much sulfur into the…
Universal Biological Language? Biology’s Optimal ‘Molecular Alphabet’ May Be Preordained.
The amino acids, a fundamental set of life’s building blocks, may have been adaptive throughout their evolution, suggesting a possible universal biological language. An international…
Old World Monkeys Vocalizations May Be More Sophisticated Than Previously Realized
Study shows Old World monkeys combine items in speech — but only two and never more, unlike humans. The utterances of Old World monkeys, some…
New Insight Into the Evolution of Sight From 54 Million Year-Old Fossil
Fossilized flies that lived 54 million years ago have revealed a surprising twist to the tale of how insects’ eyes evolved. These craneflies, unveiled in…
New Snake Research Yields Insights on Reptile Evolution
New research on a garden-variety snake in Alberta provides an unprecedented look at how their skulls develop—and may offer new clues into how reptiles…
Drying, Less Predictable Climate May Have Spurred Human Evolution
A progressively drying climate punctuated by variable wetter episodes may have precipitated the transition from our hominin ancestors to anatomically modern humans, according to research…
Scientists Discover Oldest Directly Dated Homo Sapiens Fossil Outside of Africa
The first Homo sapiens fossil discovery from Saudi Arabia dates to 90,000 years ago during a time when the region’s deserts were replaced by grasslands….
Scientists Reveal the Complex Story Behind the Beaker Phenomenon
In the largest study of ancient DNA ever conducted, an international team of scientists has revealed the complex story behind one of the defining periods…
Interdisciplinary Approach to Human Evolution Yields New Insights
The evolution of human biology should be considered part and parcel with the evolution of humanity itself, proposes Nicole Creanza, assistant professor of biological sciences….
Asteroid Remnants Can Help Explain How Life on Earth Began
In popular culture, asteroids play the role of apocalyptic threat, get blamed for wiping out the dinosaurs – and offer an extraterrestrial source for mineral…
