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New tools filter noise from evolution data

While rates of evolution have appeared to accelerate over short time periods, new analysis suggests that statistical noise is affecting the data patterns. A professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his colleague ...

'Genetic time machine' reveals complex chimpanzee cultures

In recent decades, scientists have clearly demonstrated that chimpanzees, like humans, pass on complex cultures such as tool use from generation to generation. But human culture has become vastly more sophisticated, from ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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Evolution
3D virtual skulls study maps missing piece of brain evolution
Evolution
Q&A: Holobiont biology, a new concept for exploring how microbiome shapes evolution of visible life
Evolution
Genetic legacy of Jomon hunter-gatherers linked to increased BMI in modern Japanese populations
Evolution
Fossil teeth suggest a long childhood is the prelude to the evolution of a large brain
Evolution
Bird brain from the age of dinosaurs reveals roots of avian intelligence
Evolution
How did the division of labor emerge in animals and humans? Little-known organisms hold clues
Evolution
Particle accelerator helps discover new fossil species of coelacanth
Evolution
Ouch! Study investigates pain vocalizations and interjections across 131 languages
Evolution
Hypercarnivores study reveals unique adaptations of jaw function and tooth wear
Evolution
Unexpected differences in genetically identical bacteria provide a new perspective on aging at the cellular level
Evolution
New insights into the Denisovans—the hominin group that interbred with modern day humans
Evolution
Plants and animals with bigger genomes grow less efficiently—new research helps explain why they never died out
Evolution
Insect-killing fungi find unexpected harmony in war
Evolution
Evolutionary anthropologist presents hypothesis about why humans are dominating the world over other animals
Evolution
Symmetry in biology: A look into how bees actively organize nests in mirroring patterns
Plants & Animals
Researchers discover genetic reason for the red, yellow and orange bills of Australian finches
Evolution
How do brains coordinate activity? From fruit flies to monkeys, scientists discover a universal principle
Evolution
The rise of color vision in animals: Study maps dramatic 100-million-year explosion in color signals
Plants & Animals
Mountaineering mice shed light on evolutionary adaptation
Evolution
Ancient unicellular organism indicates embryonic development might have existed prior to animals' evolution

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Astronomy
Astronomers discover a rare group of dwarf galaxies
Biochemistry
A molecular trap for exotic metals promises improved diagnostics and faster drug development
Biotechnology
Molecular morphers: DNA-powered gels shape-shift on command
Archaeology
Focaccia: A Neolithic culinary tradition dating back 9,000 years ago
Plants & Animals
Bats employ instant compensation strategy when they can't hear, study shows
Space Exploration
Earth bids farewell to its temporary 'mini moon' that is possibly a chunk of our actual moon
Archaeology
Genetic evidence points to distinct Viking settlers of the Faroe Islands and Iceland
Social Sciences
Wildlife monitoring technologies used to intimidate and spy on women, study finds
Plants & Animals
Slender-billed Curlew may be extinct, marking the disappearance of a third bird species from the Western Palaearctic
Earth Sciences
Man scouring Google Earth found a mysterious scar in the Australian outback. Now we know what caused it
Astronomy
WEAVE spectrograph uncovers dual nature of galaxy shock
Environment
Scientists seek miracle pill to stop methane cow burps
General Physics
Extending classical black hole inequalities into the quantum realm
Plants & Animals
First successful test of wild minke whales reveals they have ultrasonic hearing
Archaeology
Healthy elbow room: Social distancing in Neolithic mega-settlements
Other
Saturday Citations: Sweaty, remarkable humans; ocean level rise projections; closeup of a star in another galaxy
Analytical Chemistry
Sustainable method can electrosynthesize important chemical for synthetic rubber production
Astrobiology
Ryugu asteroid sample rapidly colonized by terrestrial life despite strict contamination control
Astrobiology
Oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars found
Astronomy
2 million mph galaxy smash-up seen in unprecedented detail

Why evolution often favors small animals and other organisms

Small really does seem to be beautiful in evolutionary terms. The largest dinosaurs, pterosaurs and mammals may look impressive but these giants are vastly outnumbered by microscopic bacteria and single-celled algae and fungi. ...

Likely ancestor of all modern hoofed animals identified

A team of anthropologists, paleontologists and Earth scientists from Kent State University, the City University of New York and the University of Michigan's Museum of Paleontology has for the first time identified the likely ...