News tagged with evolutionary models

Not all altruism is alike, says new study

(Phys.org) -- Not all acts of altruism are alike, says a new study. From bees and wasps that die defending their nests, to elephants that cooperate to care for young, a new mathematical model pinpoints the environmental conditions ...

Biology / Evolution

created Apr 30, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Research shows rats have best bite of rodent world

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that mice and rats have evolved to gnaw with their front teeth and chew with their back teeth more successfully than rodents that 'specialise' in one or ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Apr 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Evolution in action: Genetic study may answer why we have plenty of fish in the sea

(PhysOrg.com) -- Three-spine sticklebacks aren't as pretty as many aquarium fish, and anglers don't fantasize about hooking one. But biologists treasure these small fish for what they are revealing about the ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Apr 04, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Shortcuts costly when buying conservation from farmers: study

Farmers in the U.S. and the European Union receive billions of dollars in government subsidies each year to make changes in their operations that will improve the environment. However, a new study by Paul Armsworth, assistant ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

New mathematical model explains how hosts survive parasite attacks

In nature, how do host species survive parasite attacks? This has not been well understood, until now. A new mathematical model shows that when a host and its parasite each have multiple traits governing their ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 04, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Climate change models may underestimate extinctions

Predictions of the loss of animal and plant diversity around the world are common under models of future climate change. But a new study shows that because these climate models don't account for species competition ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 04, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (8) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Powerful mathematical model greatly improves predictions for species facing climate change

UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced the most comprehensive mathematical model ever devised to track the health of populations exposed to environmental change.

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 03, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 15 | with audio podcast

Genes in place: New research shows location matters for evolution

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new paper by researchers at the New England Complex Systems Institute reveals the limitations of evolutionary studies that ignore geography. They show that how individuals are arranged in space, and the ...

Biology / Evolution

created Oct 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genomic sequence and comparison of two macaques reveal new insights into biomedical research

The South China Center for Innovative Pharmaceuticals, Sun Yat-Sen University, and BGI, the world's largest genomic organization, announced that they were among the research organizations from China, US and UK comprising ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 17, 2011 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

BGI develops first monkey exome sequencing platform for biomedical research

BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, has developed the first exome sequencing platform for the monkey, based on next-generation sequencing technology and monkey exome capturing array (MECA). MECA is a proprietary ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Oct 11, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Herbivore populations will go down as temperatures go up, study says

As climate change causes temperatures to rise, the number of herbivores will decrease, affecting the human food supply, according to new research from the University of Toronto.

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 04, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Climate change will show which animals can take the heat

Species' ability to overcome adversity goes beyond Darwin's survival of the fittest. Climate change has made sure of that. In a new study based on simulations examining species and their projected range, researchers ...

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 29, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Study: Self-delusion may be a winning survival strategy

Harbouring a mistakenly inflated belief that we can easily meet challenges or win conflicts is actually good for us, a new study suggests.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Sep 14, 2011 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 18 | with audio podcast

The mechanics of speciation

Mate choice, competition, and the variety of resources available are the key factors influencing how a species evolves into separate species, according to a new mathematical model that integrates all three factors to reveal ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jun 24, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 2

Mutations: When benefits level off

Beneficial mutations within a bacterial population accumulate during evolution, but performance tends to reach a plateau. Consequently, theoretical evolutionary models need to take into account a "braking effect" in expected ...

Biology / Evolution

created Jun 08, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 7