The US National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) is a scientific research center located in Durham, North Carolina. Known by its acronym NESCent (which rhymes with 'crescent'), the center's goal is to promote collaborative, cross-disciplinary research in evolutionary biology.
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Today's rich variety of beetles may be due to an historically low extinction rate rather than a high rate of new species emerging, according to a new study. These findings were revealed by combing through the fossil record.
Evolution
Mar 18, 2015
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A team of scientists and undergraduate students have analyzed the body size for 25 marine species, including whales, sharks, squids, and other ocean giants. The project elucidates both the challenges of arriving at exact ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 13, 2015
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38
Researchers have created a model that considers how different stages of a plant's life cycle interact with each other. Whereas previous studies have examined the seed, vegetative, and reproductive phases individually, scientists ...
Biotechnology
Jan 5, 2015
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Just as physical adaptations help populations prosper in inhospitable habitats, belief in moralizing, high gods might be similarly advantageous for human cultures in poorer environments. A new study from the National Evolutionary ...
Social Sciences
Nov 10, 2014
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Frogs are well-known for being among the loudest amphibians, but new research indicates that the development of this trait followed another: bright coloration. Scientists have found that the telltale colors of some poisonous ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 24, 2014
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Modern-day puffins and auks have long been recognized as environmental indicator species for ongoing faunal shifts, and fossil records now indicate that ancient relatives were similarly informative. Researchers have found ...
Ecology
Oct 15, 2014
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A 48-year archive of life history data for the world's largest and most diverse collection of endangered primates is now digital and available online. The Duke Lemur Center database allows visitors to view and download data ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 24, 2014
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Biologists have known for a long time that some creatures evolve more quickly than others. Exactly why isn't well understood, particularly for plants. But it may be that height plays a role, says Robert Lanfear of Australian ...
Evolution
May 21, 2013
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A tiny bird fossil discovered in Wyoming offers clues to the precursors of swift and hummingbird wings. The fossil is unusual in having exceptionally well-preserved feathers, which allowed the researchers to reconstruct the ...
Archaeology
May 1, 2013
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Evolution skeptics argue that some biological structures, like the brain or the eye, are simply too complex for natural selection to explain. Biologists have proposed various ways that so-called 'irreducibly complex' structures ...
Evolution
Apr 12, 2013
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