Last update: 11 hours ago

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid, research reveals

Evolution news

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid, research reveals

More mammals were living on the ground several million years before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, new research led by the University of Bristol has revealed.

Evolution

11 hours ago

146

Giving up on photosynthesis: How a borrowed bacterial gene allows some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

A group of diatom species belonging to the Nitzschia genus gave up on photosynthesis and now get their carbon straight from their environment, thanks to a bacterial gene picked up by an ancestor. Gregory Jedd of Temasek Life ...

Evolution

17 hours ago

Biomechanical 'size matching' explains floral isolation in bumblebee-pollinated elephant-nose flowers

Buzz pollination—a process in which bees extract pollen by vibrating flowers—occurs in more than 20,000 plant species. Among the most specialized examples are the wildflowers of the Pedicularis genus (Orobanchaceae), ...

Evolution

Mar 31, 2025

Bird flu could be on the cusp of transmitting between humans—but there are ways to slow down viral evolution

Disease forecasts are like weather forecasts: We cannot predict the finer details of a particular outbreak or a particular storm, but we can often identify when these threats are emerging and prepare accordingly.

Evolution

Mar 31, 2025

Horses, donkeys and zebras have adaptations that break normal genomic rules

A genetic mutation in horses that would typically halt protein production has become a molecular asset. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University have identified a rare instance of genetic recoding ...

Evolution

report

Mar 31, 2025

102

New simulation of life on Earth reveals hidden diversity of undiscovered species

In a study published in Systematic Biology, researchers from Imperial College London, UCL, Dalhousie University and the United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center described how their new simulation ...

Evolution

Mar 31, 2025

Plesiosaur discovery sheds light on early Jurassic evolution and plausible endemism

A newly described plesiosaur fossil from southern Germany is providing crucial evidence about the diversification of these ancient marine reptiles during the Early Jurassic.

Evolution

Mar 31, 2025

'She loves me, she loves me not': Physical forces encouraged evolution of multicellular life, scientists propose

Humans like to think that being multicellular (and bigger) is a definite advantage, even though 80% of life on Earth consists of single-celled organisms—some thriving in conditions lethal to any beast.

Evolution

Mar 31, 2025

198

How climate and barriers shape global patterns in seed plant distribution over millions of years

Why do some plants thrive in specific regions but not in others? A study led by researchers at the University of Göttingen explores the factors shaping plant distributions and how these patterns have changed over millions ...

Evolution

Mar 28, 2025

Cruciferous plants' pungent defense mechanism: How repurposed stomatal genes also fend off herbivores

Throughout evolution, plants have continuously adapted to survive in changing environments. Apart from complex structural changes, plants have also developed various defense strategies against herbivores, including tougher ...

Evolution

Mar 28, 2025

Bird genome study offers insights into pandemic disease evolution

Evolution is nature's engine, driving and shaping genetic change and the diversity around us. Charles Darwin famously unveiled this process through his theory of natural selection, revealing how species adapt and evolve over ...

Evolution

Mar 28, 2025

Scientists reveal evolutionary dynamics of centromeres in octoploid strawberries

The modern cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) originates from interspecific hybridization between two octoploid wild species: F. virginiana and F. chiloensis. However, the differences in centromere characteristics ...

Evolution

Mar 28, 2025

Cartilage and bone development: Three paths to skeleton formation

In vertebrates, the skeleton of different regions of the body arises from different precursor cells. Researchers at the University of Basel have now discovered that these skeletal cells do not just differ in their developmental ...

Evolution

Mar 27, 2025

Wild marmots' social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action

It probably feels obvious that having a close friend can influence your well-being. But do the groups that you're a part of also affect your well-being? For example, does the culture of your work colleagues influence your ...

Evolution

Mar 27, 2025

Scientists uncover key mechanism in evolution: Whole-genome duplication drives long-term adaptation

Sometimes, the most significant scientific discoveries happen by accident. Scientists have long known that whole-genome duplication (WGD)—the process by which organisms copy all their genetic material—plays an important ...

Evolution

Mar 26, 2025

106

Why humans have smaller faces than Neanderthals

The human face is strikingly distinct from our fossil cousins and ancestors—most notably, it is significantly smaller, and more gracile. However, the reasons behind this change remain largely unknown. A team of researchers ...

Evolution

Mar 26, 2025

199

The interplay of two genes illuminates how the large human brain evolved

Researchers from the German Primate Center—Leibniz Institute for Primate Research and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics have discovered two specific genes that evolve exclusively in humans ...

Evolution

Mar 26, 2025

139

After 80 years of stumping scientists, strange Philippine frog unmasked as hybrid

Evolutionary biologists working in the Philippines have long puzzled over a hard-to-find amphibian mystery: the Leyte Chorus Frog. It's a small, ground-dwelling frog from Leyte Island in the Visayan province of the eastern ...

Plants & Animals

Mar 26, 2025

How scratching monkeys can help us understand emotions and consciousness

Scientists Sakumi Iki and Ikuma Adachi recently spent a lot of time watching monkeys scratch themselves.

Plants & Animals

Mar 26, 2025

Undergrads uncover ancient secrets of human immunity

Three Husker students under the mentorship of Luwen Zhang, a leading University of Nebraska-Lincoln virologist, have achieved a rare feat for undergraduates.

Evolution

Mar 26, 2025

Stonefish toxin tested against parasitic worms

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Evolution

Radioisotopic ages of newly discovered fossil sites hold clues to evolution of mammals

Evolution

Plants 'breathe' with millions of tiny mouths—lasers illuminate evolution of stomata behavior

Evolution

Scientists uncover how enzymes evolved to function at low temperatures

Evolution

Biologists discover ancient neurohormone that controls appetite

Plants & Animals

'Chimpanzee 'engineers' have implications for understanding human technological evolution

Evolution

Mountains as biodiversity engines: How uplift may shape species evolution

Evolution

Nature's time machine: How long-term studies unlock evolution's secrets

Evolution

How dramatic daily swings in oxygen shaped early animal life

Evolution

Evolution: Features that help in finding a mate may lead to smaller brains

Evolution

Origin of life: How a special group of single-celled organisms laid the foundation for complex cells

Evolution

Deadly bacteria have developed the ability to produce antimicrobials and wipe out competitors, scientists discover

Evolution

They'd rather die: The lesson that male roundworms refuse to learn

Plants & Animals

Cloaked in color: Research finds some female hummingbirds evolve male plumage to dodge aggression

Evolution

From dinosaurs to birds: The origins of feather formation

Evolution

How an organelle evolves in symbiosis with a cell: Intermediate stage sheds light on the assimilation process

Evolution

Chimpanzee genes have changed over time to suit local conditions: New study

Evolution

The tendency of some flowers to be 'honest' and reward pollinators with nectar is partly genetic, study suggests

Evolution

Genetic study reveals hidden chapter in human evolution

Evolution

Scientists uncover principles underlying the toxicity of 'selfish' genes

Evolution

Sperm breach blastocyst defenses in primates, providing new insights into reproductive competition

Other news

Archaeology

Study uncovers mercury treatment in 19th-century French child suffering from rickets and scurvy

Optics & Photonics

A router for photons: Transducer could enable superconducting quantum networks

Plants & Animals

Sensing sickness: Study supports new method for boosting bee health

Nanophysics

Scientists merge two 'impossible' materials into new artificial structure

Earth Sciences

North America is dripping from below, geoscientists discover

Astrobiology

A step towards life on Mars? Lichens survive Martian simulation in new study

Astronomy

Multifrequency observations explore radio galaxy 3C 111 and its jet

Polymers

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

Plants & Animals

How physical forces shape plants from the inside out to generate their complex 3D shapes

Political science

Can brain activity reveal your political party while grocery shopping?

Quantum Physics

Hidden side channels in quantum sources could compromise secure communication

Earth Sciences

Enhanced westerly winds lead to increased ocean heat transport to the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, study finds

Nanophysics

Doubling down on metasurfaces: Bilayer device can control many forms of polarized light

Earth Sciences

Tree rings from Canada's Gaspésie mountains reveal effects of global warming dating back almost a century

General Physics

Vincent van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' is not a masterpiece when it comes to flow physics, researchers say

Cell & Microbiology

A validated model can predict the growth of Listeria in artisanal fresh cheeses

Bio & Medicine

Liquid-bodied robot enables precise eradication of implant-related biofilm infections

Molecular & Computational biology

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Nanomaterials

Efficient self-assembly enhances self-healing in advanced siloxane materials

Condensed Matter

Magnesium becomes a possible superconductor near the 2D limit

Plants & Animals

Gorillas match chimpanzees in self-awareness study

Evolution

How big brains and flexible skulls led to the evolution of modern birds

Evolution

Genomic study indicates our capacity for language emerged 135,000 years ago

Plants & Animals

Koalas in Queensland show unique immunity to deadly retrovirus

Evolution

DNA and 90 million-year-old pollen fossils reveal new insights into evolution of Asian tropics

Evolution

Snakes' secret language of ultraviolet color: A hidden world of predator evasion and camouflage

Evolution

Predatory behavior is an inherited trait across multiple generations in nematodes

Evolution

We modeled how early human ancestors ran—and found they were surprisingly slow

Evolution

East Asian human gene that allows adult humans to digest sugars in milk likely came from Neanderthals

Evolution

Deep-sea fish study reveals evolutionary marvels in Earth's hadal zone

Cell & Microbiology

Live-cell labeling sheds light on how our DNA is packed and behaves in cells

Plants & Animals

Mysterious falcon decline: American Kestrel juveniles thrive amid population drop

Cell & Microbiology

New agent inhibits Staphylococcus aureus toxin—giving hope to pneumonia patients

Cell & Microbiology

Hidden virus harbored by fruit flies may influence experimental accuracy

Biotechnology

Food and fuel that farms itself: Genome sequences of five duckweed species reveal basis for unique plant traits

Biochemistry

Sustainable biomanufacturing: Key to India's green transition

Environment

Microplastics pollution from glitter can disrupt marine biomineralization

Political science

Propaganda outlet leverages AI to amplify content without any loss in persuasive power

Biochemistry

Binding to surface sugars enhances omicron variant's cell attachment, researchers discover

Plants & Animals

Newborn warty birch caterpillars defend the world's smallest territory

Study shows some fruit fly species are susceptible to broad range of viruses

A study of fruit flies shows some species are highly susceptible to a wide range of viruses. The paper, published in the journal Evolution Letters, is titled "Positive correlations in susceptibility to a diverse panel of ...

Plants & Animals

Feb 6, 2025

Corn's ancient ancestors are calling: Genomic encyclopedia sheds light on domestication 9,000 years ago

The domestication of maize is one of the greatest examples of humankind's impact on evolution. Early farmers' pre-industrial plant breeding choices turned corn from a nearly inedible crop into the major global food source ...

Evolution

Feb 6, 2025

Supercomputer simulation shows why beneficial mutations rarely lead to hypermutators in real organisms

In real life, mutants can arise when their DNA changes to give them an advantage over the rest of the population. A team from the University of Michigan has used simulations on the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center's Neocortex ...

Evolution

Feb 6, 2025

Male flies sharpen their eyesight to call females' bluff: Study suggests ongoing evolution

With bloated bellies and hairy legs, female flies try to look bigger to get food from courting mates. But male flies, in turn, have sharpened their eyesight to call their bluff. A new study by researchers from the Universities ...

Plants & Animals

Feb 5, 2025

Fossils show leaf-eating insects tracked gum trees for millions of years

How far would leaf-eating insects go to dine on their favorite food? Perhaps the other side of the world, according to researchers at Penn State who found insect damage on fossil leaves from South America that is nearly identical ...

Evolution

Feb 4, 2025

113

Thin leaves and strong roots gain ground in response to climate change

A recent study published in the Journal of Ecology, led by the UAB and CREAF, analyzes 25 years of evolution of 445,000 trees in the Iberian Peninsula and confirms that the combination of climate change and rural abandonment ...

Evolution

Feb 4, 2025

Scientists reveal new findings on the ancient life found in Yellowstone hot springs

In the journal Nature Communications, Montana State University scientists in the College of Agriculture highlight fresh knowledge of how ancient microorganisms adapted from a low-oxygen prehistoric environment to the one ...

Evolution

Feb 4, 2025

Bonobos realize when humans miss information and communicate accordingly

To get treats, apes eagerly pointed them out to humans who didn't know where they were, a seemingly simple experiment that demonstrated for the first time that apes will communicate unknown information in the name of teamwork. ...

Plants & Animals

Feb 3, 2025

1179

Lake beds are rich environmental records—studying them reveals much about a place's history

Canada has more lakes than any other country in the world, with a huge diversity of lake sizes, depths, shapes, water chemistries, underlying geologies and hydrologies (the waters that flow in and out of them). Sediments ...

Evolution

Feb 3, 2025

Fossil shark teeth are abundant and can date the past in a unique way

The ratios of strontium isotopes in fossil shark teeth can be used to better understand how coastal environments evolved in ancient times, according to our newly published work in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

Evolution

Feb 3, 2025

Octopuses have some of the oldest known sex chromosomes, study finds

The octopus just revealed another one of its secrets: what determines its sex. University of Oregon researchers have identified a sex chromosome in the California two-spot octopus. This chromosome has likely been around for ...

Plants & Animals

Feb 3, 2025

Mapping the yerba mate genome reveals surprising facts about the evolution of caffeine

Yerba mate, along with tea and coffee, is one of the world's most popular caffeinated beverages. Widely consumed in South America, this remarkable plant is rich in diverse, bioactive compounds that contribute many health ...

Evolution

Feb 3, 2025

Are dogs really bred for function? New study challenges the assumptions about certain breeds

Since their domestication millennia ago, dogs have been man's best friend, and aside from friendship, centuries of selective breeding have tailored them for tasks like herding, hunting and guarding—or so we thought.

Evolution

Jan 31, 2025

Ear muscle we thought humans didn't use—except for wiggling our ears—activates during focused listening

If you can wiggle your ears, you can use muscles that helped our distant ancestors listen closely. These auricular muscles helped change the shape of the pinna, or the shell of the ear, funneling sound to the eardrums.

Evolution

Jan 31, 2025

127

Ragweed's evolutionary edge: Study reveals supergenes behind invasive plant's rapid global invasion

Monash researchers have made a breakthrough discovery about the invasion success of plants, with the revelation that large-scale genetic changes are the common ragweed's secret to rapidly adapting to new environments.

Plants & Animals

Jan 30, 2025

We studied more than 500 giraffe skulls from all over Africa, and confirmed there are 4 distinct species

Giraffes are among the world's most recognizable animals. With their elongated necks and long legs, their gracious movements and unique coat patterns, they have inspired people's imaginations for centuries.

Plants & Animals

Jan 30, 2025

Bats' genetic adaptations: How they tolerate coronaviruses without becoming ill

New research from the University of St Andrews has shown that bats can tolerate coronaviruses and other viruses without becoming ill, thanks to special adaptations of their immune system.

Evolution

Jan 30, 2025

Crucial plant protein traced back to over 600 millions years ago, predating the first plant

Wageningen researchers have discovered that a vital plant protein originated more than 600 million years ago, long before the first plants existed. They traced its origins back to an evolutionary event in a distant unicellular ...

Evolution

Jan 29, 2025

How tiny algae shaped the evolution of giant clams

Giant clams, some of the largest mollusks on Earth, have long fascinated scientists. These impressive creatures can grow up to 4.5 feet in length and weigh over 700 pounds, making them icons of tropical coral reefs.

Evolution

Jan 27, 2025

Evidence suggests Neanderthal blood protein may be part of reason for their demise

A team of paleoanthropologists and geneticists from Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, ADES has found evidence of what may have been a contributing factor to the decline of Neanderthals. In their paper published in the journal ...

Evolution

report

Jan 27, 2025

222