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Evolution news
Ancient hominins had humanlike hands, indicating earlier tool use, study reveals
An analysis by Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany, on the manual capabilities of early hominins reveals that some Australopithecus species exhibited hand use similar to modern humans.
Scientists discover one of the Earth's earliest animals in Australian outback
In the shadow of South Australia's largest mountain range beneath the outback soil lies a fossil record that reveals a rich history of life on Earth. Fossils found at Nilpena Ediacara National Park preserve a pivotal moment ...
Evolution
Oct 14, 2024
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Giant prehistoric elephant skull from India belongs to mysterious extinct species
The giant fossil skull of an extinct elephant, discovered in northern India's Kashmir Valley in 2000, sheds light on a poorly known episode in elephant evolutionary history.
Evolution
Oct 14, 2024
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Adaptability of trees persists after millions of years of climate change, finds study
Seven of the most common forest trees in Europe have been shown to be able to shelter their genetic diversity from major shifts in environmental conditions. This is despite their ranges having shrunk and the number of trees ...
Evolution
Oct 14, 2024
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One of the earliest examples of a winged seed found in a mine in China
A team of geologists, life scientists and biologists affiliated with several institutions in China has found one of the earliest examples of a winged seed in a mine in Anhui Province. Their paper is published in the journal ...
Evolution in real time: Scientists predict—and witness—evolution in a 30-year marine snail experiment
Snails on a tiny rocky islet evolved before scientists' eyes. The marine snails were reintroduced after a toxic algal bloom wiped them out from the skerry. While the researchers intentionally brought in a distinct population ...
Evolution
Oct 11, 2024
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Mountain chickadees songs provide real-time evidence for Darwin's character displacement theory
Mountain chickadees in Boulder have evolved a different tune to avoid getting mixed up with their cousins, according to a new CU Boulder-led study published Oct. 9 in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
Plants & Animals
Oct 11, 2024
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Red milkweed beetle genome offers evolutionary insights into plant-insect interactions
Studying the secrets of how the common red milkweed beetle can safely feed on a toxic plant helps illuminate the ecological, evolutionary and economic impact of insect-plant interactions from a genomic perspective.
Plants & Animals
Oct 10, 2024
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Playing songs to Darwin's finches helps confirm link between environmental change and emergence of new species
They say that hindsight is 20/20, and though the theory of ecological speciation—which holds that new species emerge in response to ecological changes—seems to hold in retrospect, it has been difficult to demonstrate ...
Evolution
Oct 10, 2024
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Animal social interactions could speed up evolution
Scientists typically predict how species evolve by looking at their genes and the environment they live in, but new research from the University of Aberdeen has highlighted a key factor that's often overlooked: social interactions, ...
Evolution
Oct 10, 2024
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Researchers find dragonfly species with darker wings have evolved to withstand heat and attract partners
Temperature determines where species can live and if they are threatened by a warming climate. So, for a long time, biologists studied how heat tolerance affects survival. Yet, less is known about how thermal traits influence ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 10, 2024
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Study shows early human species benefited from food diversity in steep mountainous terrain
A study published in the journal Science Advances by researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea shows that the patchwork of different ecosystems found in mountainous ...
Evolution
Oct 9, 2024
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In studying the mating rituals of fruit flies, scientists may have learned something about how brains evolve
Male fruit flies have several tricks for finding a mate, from sensing pheromones in the dark to relying on visual cues in the light. Now, new research reveals that these tiny suitors are leveraging a flexible network of modular ...
Evolution
Oct 9, 2024
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A peculiar algae's genome reveals clues to reef-building and climate adaptation
A team of researchers including Department of Marine Sciences Professor Senjie Lin have for the first time sequenced the genome of Halimeda opuntia, and they found several surprising details about this strange, not-so-little ...
Evolution
Oct 9, 2024
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New seed fossil sheds light on wind dispersal in plants
Scientists have discovered one of the earliest examples of a winged seed, gaining insight into the origin and early evolution of wind dispersal strategies in plants.
Evolution
Oct 8, 2024
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Genomic study reveals fungal domestication by leafcutter ants
While our human ancestors began domesticating food crops around 10,000 years ago, a lineage of ants called the "attines" became fungus farmers 60 million years earlier. The attine ants and their fungal crop mutually depend ...
Evolution
Oct 7, 2024
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Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have led to the invention of 'ant agriculture'
The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn't all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time ...
Evolution
Oct 6, 2024
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Scientists uncover auditory 'sixth sense' in geckos
University of Maryland biologists have identified a hidden sensory talent in geckos that's shaking up what we thought we knew about animal hearing.
Plants & Animals
Oct 4, 2024
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Study determines when and how pterosaurs went from tiny tree-climbers to towering terrestrial titans
The evolutionary adaptations that allowed ancient pterosaurs to grow to enormous sizes have been pinpointed for the first time by paleontologists in the Center for Paleobiology and Biosphere Evolution at the University of ...
Evolution
Oct 4, 2024
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Study suggests statistical 'noise' affects perceived evolutionary rates
For decades, researchers have observed that rates of evolution seem to accelerate over short time periods—say five million years versus fifty million years. This broad pattern has suggested that "younger" groups of organisms, ...
Evolution
Oct 3, 2024
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More news
Study traces wild cat eye color diversity to ancient ancestor
Bird study shows that grounded running styles conserve energy
Other news
Spin-wave reservoir chips can enhance edge computing
Tube sock-like skunk can cover more ground than deer, study finds
Tubeworms, snails and other weird creatures found under the seafloor
New venomous reptile species from the Late Triassic unearthed in Arizona
New fossil species reshapes understanding of grape family history
Naked mole-rat found to have lost infection-resistant proteins
Vitamin B₁'s journey in your body, and why it matters
Scientists discover 'selfish DNA' crucial for early human development
