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Evolution news
Dinosaur drumsticks, X-ray videos and 3D models shed light on the evolution of bird motion
Wings may be the obvious choice when studying the connection between dinosaurs and birds, but a pair of Yale paleontologists prefer drumsticks. That part of the leg, they say, is where fibular reduction among some dinosaurs ...
Evolution
14 hours ago
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Superior photosynthesis abilities of some plants could hold key to climate-resilient crops
More than 3 billion years ago, on an Earth entirely covered with water, photosynthesis first evolved in ancient bacteria. In the following millions of years, those bacteria evolved into plants, optimizing themselves along ...
Evolution
15 hours ago
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Algorithm predicts DNA methylation in ancient specimens, providing insight into human evolution
Research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution introduces a novel method for inferring DNA methylation patterns in non-skeletal tissues from ancient specimens, providing new insights into human evolution. As DNA methylation ...
Evolution
21 hours ago
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Ancient DNA sheds light on adaptation of early Europeans at the dawn of the agricultural revolution
Leveraging a unique statistical analysis and applying it to ancient DNA extracted from human skeletal remains, a team of researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Los Angeles has ...
Evolution
Nov 19, 2024
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Human evolution in an AI world: Predicting changes in brain size, attention and social behaviors
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more common and sophisticated, its effects on human lives and societies raises new questions. A new paper published in The Quarterly Review of Biology posits how these new technologies ...
Evolution
Nov 19, 2024
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Blind cavefish study provides new insights into the evolution of neurons in vertebrate brains
Assumptions that may seem self-evident are not always accurate when it comes to the evolution of vertebrate brains. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have now demonstrated this by examining the largest neuron in the ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 19, 2024
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Seemingly 'broken' genes in coronaviruses may be essential for viral survival
Viruses are lean, mean, infection machines. Their genomes are tiny, limited to a handful of absolutely essential genes, and they shed extra genomic deadweight extremely fast... usually.
Evolution
Nov 19, 2024
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How humans evolved to be 'energetically unique'
Humans, it turns out, possess much higher metabolic rates than other mammals, including our close relatives, apes and chimpanzees, finds a Harvard study. Having both high resting and active metabolism, researchers say, enabled ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 19, 2024
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How brain evolution is linked to the use of tools
Researchers led by Dr. Alexandros Karakostis from the Institute for Archaeological Science and the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen suggest that changes in the brain ...
Evolution
Nov 19, 2024
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Study shows how social bonds help tool-using monkeys learn new skills
Anthropologists and psychologists have studied wild monkeys' problem-solving for food to better understand how social dynamics can influence behavior and learning. The research team, led by Durham University's Department ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 18, 2024
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Paper wasps study shows that body size is larger in habitats nearer the equator
A study of the correlation between environmental variables such as latitude and body size in paper wasps (genus Polistes) by a group of Brazilian researchers concludes that the nearer the habitat of a species to the equator, ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 18, 2024
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Human brain organelles study shows dopamine neurons must work a lot harder than those in primate relatives
A team of neurologists, bioengineers and radiologists has found that two neurons in the human brain that code for dopamine production have to work harder than similar cells in primate relatives. The group has posted a paper ...
Tiny worm makes for big evolutionary discovery: Scientists describe 'Uncus,' the oldest ecdysozoan
Everyone has a past. That includes the millions of species of insects, arachnids, and nematode worms that make up a major animal group called the Ecdysozoa.
Evolution
Nov 18, 2024
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New fossil reveals the evolution of flying reptiles
The pterosaurs are extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside their close relatives, the dinosaurs. The largest of these reached 10 m in wingspan, but early forms were generally limited to around 2 m. In a paper, a team ...
Evolution
Nov 18, 2024
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Study links relative brain volume to temperament in diverse dog breeds
Researchers from the University of Montpellier, the University of Zurich, Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, and other institutions have found that breed function and behavior correlate with relative endocranial volume (REV) ...
Genes of ancient animal relatives used to grow a mouse: Study reveals hidden history of stem cells
An international team of researchers has achieved an unprecedented milestone: the creation of mouse stem cells capable of generating a fully developed mouse using genetic tools from a unicellular organism, with which we share ...
Evolution
Nov 15, 2024
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3D virtual skulls study maps missing piece of brain evolution
The temporal lobe—a key area of our brain responsible for our memory and communication—could also reveal hidden clues about how human brains have evolved over time, according to a new study from The Australian National ...
Evolution
Nov 15, 2024
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Q&A: Holobiont biology, a new concept for exploring how microbiome shapes evolution of visible life
Microorganisms—bacteria, viruses and other tiny life forms—may drive biological variation in visible life as much, if not more, than genetic mutations, creating new lineages and even new species of animals and plants, ...
Evolution
Nov 14, 2024
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Genetic legacy of Jomon hunter-gatherers linked to increased BMI in modern Japanese populations
New research exploring the roots of modern Japanese populations has linked the genetic signature of Jomon hunter-gatherers to a higher body mass index (BMI) among individuals, underlining that ancient human ancestors can ...
Evolution
Nov 14, 2024
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Fossil teeth suggest a long childhood is the prelude to the evolution of a large brain
Compared to the great apes, humans have an exceptionally long childhood, during which parents, grandparents and other adults contribute to their physical and cognitive development. This is a key developmental period for acquiring ...
Evolution
Nov 13, 2024
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Other news
Ankylosaurid dinosaur, unearthed in China in 1986, identified as a new species
Plant biologists show how two genes work together to trigger embryo formation in rice
Making Mars's moons: Supercomputers offer 'disruptive' new explanation
Megapixel fluorescence microscopy through scattering layers made simple
Study shows friendly social behaviors are contagious for chimpanzees
