How Mammals’ Complex “Frankenstein’s Monster” Backbones Evolved
Mammals’ backbones are weird. Compared to other four-legged animals like reptiles, mammal spines are a complex mix of sections of differently-shaped bones. Our Frankenstein’s monster…
Mammals
Sirtuin Protein SIRT6 Linked to Longevity in Mammals
A member of the sirtuin family of proteins, SIRT6, has been shown to extend lifespans in mammals. Researchers studying the aging process have long been…
Human Y-Chromosome Has Enough Genes to Stay for Millions of Years
The male-sex determining Y chromosome is here to stay, having lost only one gene in the last 25 million years, a new study of human…
Blind Golden Moles Have a Blue-Green Iridescent Sheen, a Rare Example in Mammals
Golden moles, mammals forming the family of Chrysochloridae, which taxonomically is distinct from true moles but to which they resemble due to species convergence, are…
Burmese Pythons Causing Decline of Mammals in Everglades National Park
According to new study that was co-authored by USGS and published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists found that the…
Study Measures Mammalian Growth, Taking 24 Million Years to Go from Mouse to Elephant
Evolution has its quirks, and getting from a mouse-sized animal to a pachyderm didn’t take thousands of years, it took millions. Evolutionary biologists have published…