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Evolution news
Birds that put more energy into parenthood age faster and die younger, research shows
In a new study, appearing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, scientists selectively bred Japanese quails into two groups: laying either relatively large or small eggs. As the quails don't do much ...
Plants & Animals
13 hours ago
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Simple rules guide how proteins assemble and evolve, study finds
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have identified simple rules that explain how complex protein structures assemble correctly and remain functional over time, despite having many theoretically possible configurations. ...
Evolution
14 hours ago
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5
Why did the stag beetle Prosopocoilus hachijoensis lose its ability to fly?
The stag beetle Prosopocoilus hachijoensis is the only flightless species of the genus Prosopocoilus in Japan. Researchers at University of Tsukuba investigated the mechanisms underlying the loss of flight by comparing this ...
Plants & Animals
14 hours ago
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Some lake bacteria survive by slashing half their genome and never looking back
Researchers at the University of Zurich have analyzed the genome of bacteria living in Lake Zurich to conclude that microbes employ two different strategies to colonize new habitats. Some acquire new traits, as expected—but ...
Evolution
16 hours ago
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4
A built-in 'hairpin' mechanism in CRISPR-Cas13 prevents rogue RNAs
The CRISPR-Cas gene-editing system has long been the focus of research as a promising tool in genome editing. However, the emphasis has been on its underlying mechanisms and nucleases. In contrast, little research has examined ...
Evolution
16 hours ago
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4
New genetic discovery reveals why some plants are born to survive in a warming world
A genetic master map of ancient grasses could be the key to future-proofing global food supplies, according to a new study revealing why some crops are naturally better at surviving climate change than others.
Evolution
20 hours ago
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A tiny predator from ancient Spain just doubled the weasel family's evolutionary timeline
Weasels are small carnivores with a long body and short legs. They also have a stout skull and sharp teeth. These creatures, along with ferrets and minks, make up the Mustelinae subfamily. Until now, researchers believed ...
Evolution
20 hours ago
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A tiny wall spider named for Pink Floyd is hunting urban pests up to six times its size
A team of researchers from institutions across South America have expanded scholarly knowledge of the Pikelinia spider genus, with their recent discovery of a new crevice weaver species: Pikelinia floydmuraria. The new species ...
Plants & Animals
21 hours ago
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Video shows that sunbirds suck, while hummingbirds don't
Two unrelated groups of nectar eaters, hummingbirds and sunbirds, have evolved different techniques to slurp the sweet liquid from flowers. The tongue suctioning employed by sunbirds is unique among vertebrates, according ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 13, 2026
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Vitamin B12 drives inherited behavioral changes across generations in roundworms
It has long been known that environmental conditions can shape how traits are inherited, a phenomenon known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. However, the molecular signals responsible for encoding this biological ...
Evolution
Apr 13, 2026
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9
Embryo fossil found in South Africa is world's oldest proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs
Between 280 and 200 million years ago, a group of animals evolved which would eventually give rise to mammals, including humans: the therapsids. They were first described more than 150 years ago, based on fossils from South ...
Evolution
Apr 12, 2026
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Oldest dog DNA suggests 16,000 years of human companionship
The discovery of the oldest ever dog DNA suggests they have been our best friends for nearly 16,000 years—5,000 years earlier than had previously been thought, new research said Wednesday.
Evolution
Apr 11, 2026
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From teeth to thorns: Coincidences shape the universal form of nature's pointed tips
We thought it was evolution, but an experiment with pencils shows that tips like teeth and thorns may owe their rounded shape to mechanical wear. Most of us have been stung by a bee, bitten by an animal, or scratched by a ...
Evolution
Apr 10, 2026
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Mammal ancestors laid eggs—and this 250-million-year-old fossil proves it
A remarkable new discovery is shedding light on one of the greatest survival stories in Earth's history, and answering a decades-old scientific mystery. Lystrosaurus, a hardy, plant-eating mammal ancestor, rose to prominence ...
Evolution
Apr 9, 2026
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Great apes mirror facial expressions with surprising precision, study shows
New research from the University of Portsmouth has found that great apes exhibit exactness in mimicking one another's facial expressions in social contexts. The study, published in Scientific Reports, explored how orangutans ...
Evolution
Apr 9, 2026
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From Asgard to Earth: Tiny tubes may reveal the moment complex life began
Stromatolites—and their close relatives, microbial mats—could be mistaken for what seems like a bunch of old dark rocks. But instead, they are dense, layered communities of microbes. Long before complex life such as animals ...
Evolution
Apr 9, 2026
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Dragonflies share humans' red-light sensing trick, detecting wavelengths near 720 nm
Sometimes, different organisms can evolve the same ability independently, a process called parallel evolution. A new study from Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) has found that dragonflies sense red light similarly to mammals, ...
Evolution
Apr 9, 2026
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Research traces evolution of anglerfishes' famed fishing-rod lures
Anybody who has seen "Finding Nemo" knows about those captivating monsters of the sea: anglerfishes. Variously horrific or alien-looking, many female anglerfishes sport long, protruding lures used for enticing prey or signaling ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 8, 2026
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The oldest breath: A 300-million-year-old mummy reveals the origins of how amniotes breathe
Every breath you take is an ancient inheritance. The rise and fall of your chest, the intercostal muscles pulling your ribs outward, the rush of air into your lungs—this mechanism is so familiar it barely registers as remarkable. ...
Evolution
Apr 8, 2026
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510
Climate change may speed evolution through inherited gene regulation changes
A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, finds that changes in animal development induced by climate shock persist generations after the initial event. The escalating effects of climate change are likely to, in effect, ...
Evolution
Apr 8, 2026
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More news
How the social lives of magpies shape their call repertoire
New spider species in the Amazon mimics parasitic fungus
How the female baboon body has the final say in sperm selection
Other news
Bottled lightning makes a cleaner fuel
Copper's 'gatekeeper' could unlock cleaner energy future
Subaru telescope captures comet 3I/ATLAS composition change
Super magma reservoirs discovered beneath Tuscany
Ph.D. student solves persistent problem in high-entropy alloys
Glaciers may flow into the ocean more quickly than we think
Smart cable sharing gives quantum computers a big boost
