News tagged with evolutionary

Honoring the fundamental role of microbes in the natural history of our planet

Inspired by a 2009 colloquium on microbial evolution convened at the Galapagos Islands, a new book from ASM Press, Microbes and Evolution: The World That Darwin Never Saw celebrates Charles Darwin and his landmark publication ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created 13 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Faithful females who choose good providers key to evolutionary shift to modern family, study finds

In early human evolution, when faithful females began to choose good providers as mates, pair-bonding replaced promiscuity, laying the foundation for the emergence of the institution of the modern family, a new study finds.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created May 28, 2012 | popularity 2.7 / 5 (6) | comments 5

Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study

At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created May 27, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (14) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

A mating dance with Popeye arms

A research team at Bielefeld University headed by the evolutionary biologist Dr. Holger Schielzeth is now studying how far a comparable mechanism is involved in mate choice among locusts. The male Siberian ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Fungi shifted plant balance of power

Cooperating with fungi didn't just help the earliest plants spread across a barren, rocky landscape; it also played a decisive role in the rise of more complex plants with roots and leaves that make up most ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of past climate

(Phys.org) -- UCLA life scientists have discovered new laws that determine the construction of leaf vein systems as leaves grow and evolve. These easy-to-apply mathematical rules can now be used to better ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (10) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Not a one-way street: Evolution shapes environment of Connecticut lakes

Environmental change is the selective force that preserves adaptive traits in organisms and is a primary driver of evolution. However, it is less well known that evolutionary change in organisms also trigger ...

Biology / Evolution

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mapping the genomes of crocodiles and alligators -- It's not for the faint of heart

(Phys.org) -- David Ray never turns his back on his research, and with good reason! "If it can't bite you, it's not interesting," he jokes.

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Study finds modern dog breeds genetically disconnected from ancient ancestors

Cross-breeding of dogs over thousands of years has made it extremely difficult to trace the ancient genetic roots of today's pets, according to a new study led by Durham University.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 21, 2012 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (7) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Richer parasite diversity leads to healthier frogs: study

Increases in the diversity of parasites that attack amphibians cause a decrease in the infection success rate of virulent parasites, including one that causes malformed limbs and premature death, says a new University of ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 21, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers aim to assemble the tree of life for all 2 million named species

A new initiative aims to build a grand tree of life that brings together everything scientists know about how all living things are related, from the tiniest bacteria to the tallest tree.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 21, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

New research discovers metabolic adaptation to high altitudes

When mammals are cold, they can employ physical changes to stay warm -- such as intense shivering. Like any form of aerobic exercise, though, "shivering thermogenesis" is especially challenging at high altitudes ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 17, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists lift lid on turtle evolution

The turtle is a closer relative of crocodiles and birds than of lizards and snakes, according to researchers who claim to have solved an age-old riddle in animal evolution.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 16, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Mixed bacterial communities evolve to share resources, not compete

New research shows how bacteria evolve to increase ecosystem functioning by recycling each other's waste. The study provides some of the first evidence for how interactions between species shape evolution when there is a ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Ancient plant-fungal partnerships reveal how the world became green

Prehistoric plants grown in state-of-the-art growth chambers recreating environmental conditions from more than 400 million years ago have shown scientists from the University of Sheffield how soil dwelling fungi played a ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 2 | with audio podcast