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Evolution news

Of microorganisms and man: First large-scale test confirms Darwin's theory of universal common ancestry

More than 150 years ago, Darwin proposed the theory of universal common ancestry (UCA), linking all forms of life by a shared genetic heritage from single-celled microorganisms to humans. Until now, the theory that makes ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 12, 2010 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (65) | comments 164 | with audio podcast

Time in a bottle: Scientists watch evolution unfold

A 21-year Michigan State University experiment that distills the essence of evolution in laboratory flasks not only demonstrates natural selection at work, but could lead to biotechnology and medical research ...

Biology / Evolution

created Oct 18, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (42) | comments 13

Humans were once an endangered species

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in the U.S. have calculated that 1.2 million years ago, at a time when our ancestors were spreading through Africa, Europe and Asia, ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jan 21, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (41) | comments 29 | with audio podcast report

Darwin's theory of gradual evolution not supported by geological history, scientist concludes

Charles Darwin's theory of gradual evolution is not supported by geological history, New York University Geologist Michael Rampino concludes in an essay in the journal Historical Biology. In fact, Rampino notes that a more ...

Biology / Evolution

created Nov 09, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (38) | comments 477 | with audio podcast

Modern men are wimps, according to new book

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new book claims even modern athletes could not run as fast, jump as high, or have been nearly as strong as our predecessors.

Biology / Evolution

created Oct 21, 2009 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (41) | comments 40 weblog

Biologists find that red-blooded vertebrates evolved twice, independently

(PhysOrg.com) -- Nature, in all its glory, is nothing if not thrifty.

Biology / Evolution

created Jul 27, 2010 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (33) | comments 12 | with audio podcast

Mass Extinctions, Ancient Viruses May Hold Clues to Life’s Origins

(PhysOrg.com) -- Mass extinctions occur repeatedly, though irregularly, throughout Earth’s history, and occasionally these extinctions have been devastating to life on our planet - or have they? Extinction ...

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 03, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (30) | comments 16 feature

Evolution of the appendix: A biological 'remnant' no more

The lowly appendix, long-regarded as a useless evolutionary artifact, won newfound respect two years ago when researchers at Duke University Medical Center proposed that it actually serves a critical function. ...

Biology / Evolution

created Aug 20, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (29) | comments 35

Evolution may take giant leaps

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of thousands of species of plants and animals suggests new species may arise from rare events instead of through an accumulation of small changes made in response to changes in ...

Biology / Evolution

created Dec 11, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (31) | comments 40 weblog

Are brains shrinking to make us smarter?

Human brains have shrunk over the past 30,000 years, puzzling scientists who argue it is not a sign we are growing dumber but that evolution is making the key motor leaner and more efficient.

Biology / Evolution

created Feb 06, 2011 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (33) | comments 56

Scientists watch evolution in action

(PhysOrg.com) -- The yellow-bellied three-toed skink (Saiphos equalis) is one of only three reptiles known to have different methods of reproduction in different places. In the coastal areas of New South ...

Biology / Evolution

created Sep 06, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (29) | comments 3 | with audio podcast report

Complete Neanderthal genome yields insights into human evolution and evidence of interbreeding

After extracting ancient DNA from the 40,000-year-old bones of Neanderthals, scientists have obtained a draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome, yielding important new insights into the evolution of modern ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 06, 2010 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (27) | comments 66 | with audio podcast

Professor examines the complex evolution of human morality

(PhysOrg.com) -- Although the question of what makes humans different from other animals doesn't have a single obvious answer, one seemingly conspicuous human trait is morality. Darwin, in his book The Descent of Man, an ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 19, 2010 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (27) | comments 428 | with audio podcast feature

New hypothesis for human evolution and human nature

It's no secret to any dog-lover or cat-lover that humans have a special connection with animals. But in a new journal article and forthcoming book, paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman of Penn State University ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jul 20, 2010 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (27) | comments 45 | with audio podcast

Mother of all humans lived 200,000 years ago

The most robust statistical examination to date of our species' genetic links to "mitochondrial Eve" -- the maternal ancestor of all living humans -- confirms that she lived about 200,000 years ago. The Rice University study ...

Biology / Evolution

created Aug 17, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (24) | comments 35 | with audio podcast