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Evolution news
Seabird family tree predicts which species accumulate plastic better than diet, global analysis finds
What seabirds eat might seem like a good starting point for identifying species that tend to accumulate plastic in their digestive systems. Yet a recent global analysis suggests that mapping the evolutionary relatives of ...
Surveying the genetic battlefield to uncover the rules of rapid evolution
The Malik Lab thrives on competition. But for HHMI investigator Harmit Malik and his team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, it's the genomes—not the people—that are in conflict. The lab studies rapid evolution—the genetic ...
Evolution
Oct 23, 2026
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Bacteria reinvent their weapons through selection, chance and gene swapping
Many of the most potent antibiotics originate from bacteria. A large proportion belong to a class of compounds known as nonribosomal peptides (NRP). They are produced by large bacterial enzyme machineries—the nonribosomal ...
Evolution
Oct 23, 2026
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An ancient virus in chimpanzee DNA switches off a gene that is active in humans
Humans and chimpanzees share almost all their genes. Despite this, our brains have developed in different ways. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now shown that a viral pandemic dating back several million years ...
Evolution
Oct 23, 2026
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Ants break a basic rule of biology to help them adapt to new environments
A new study led by researchers in the Eco-Evo-Devo lab at the University of Ottawa finds that ants can decouple antenna size from both head and body size as they develop into different social castes, revealing how social ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 22, 2026
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Candida auris: A harbinger of further dangerous fungal species?
Why has the yeast Candida auris become a dangerous pathogen worldwide in just a few years? This question is on the minds of many researchers. Carla Schuh and Chaitanya Gokhale from the Biocentre at the University of Würzburg ...
Evolution
Oct 21, 2026
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Hearing laughter may cause orangutans to value rewards more
A new study from Indiana University shows that being in a positive mood leads orangutans to value what they learned more strongly. The study comes from the lab of Erica Cartmill, professor of animal behavior, anthropology ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 21, 2026
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How humans domesticated the bacterium behind Botox treatments
Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce a potent neurotoxin called botulinum toxin, which causes the serious illness botulism. The toxin attacks the nervous system, leaving the body unable to control its muscles and making ...
Ancient fish bones reveal how Arctic cod species survived the last ice age
The glacial Arctic Ocean was not a barren ice desert but a breeding ground for the evolution of cold adaptation in marine fish. This is the main conclusion of a new scientific publication from Stockholm University that examines ...
Evolution
Oct 21, 2026
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Swiss barn owls are gradually changing color
Over the past 30 years, Swiss barn owls have become more reddish-brown and more heavily spotted. By analyzing the genomes of more than 3,000 birds, scientists at the University of Lausanne identified the genetic variants ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 21, 2026
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Keeping to warm climates may have helped crocodiles outlast the dinosaurs
Keeping to warm climates throughout their 250-million-year history may have helped crocodiles and their relatives survive the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, finds a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.
Evolution
Oct 21, 2026
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Giant Jurassic fossil sheds light on the evolution of a six-legged predator
Insects belong to a broader group of six-legged animals called hexapods. This group also includes other less well-known, small animals, including diplurans or two-pronged bristletails, wingless relatives of insects with two ...
More current with less calcium: Computational models help solve longstanding ion channel evolution mystery
In the early 1980s, scientists observed an anomaly. Embedded within cell membranes, they identified ion channels with extraordinarily high conductance. These so-called "BK" (Big K, or Big Potassium) channels had roughly 10 ...
Evolution
Oct 21, 2026
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Like humans, some primates become cautious of germs in the wake of a viral outbreak
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many households wiped down groceries with disinfectant before putting them away. Hand sanitizer was in short supply. With little information on how the virus spread, people became ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 20, 2026
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Caribbean islands were once the center of diversity for barn owls
Legend has it that a giant elfin, owl-like creature called the chickcharney haunts the islands of the Bahamas. Those who encounter this cryptid on cordial terms are said to be blessed with good luck. Those who disrespect ...
Evolution
Oct 20, 2026
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Octopus and cuttlefish suckers may have evolved by repurposing ancient developmental genes
Cephalopods, like the octopus, have specialized arms and suckers, but how these structures evolved from the simple bodies of their mollusk ancestors remains a mystery. Researchers from the University of Tokyo compared gene ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 20, 2026
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Why haven't farm animals evolved against humans? A biologist explains why there won't be a chicken uprising anytime soon
"Why haven't farm animals evolved to protect themselves against humans?—Sarang, age 15, Latur, Maharashtra, India"
Evolution
Oct 19, 2026
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Oldest animals on Earth found to share a common wormlike ancestor
New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on the evolution of an important yet thus far poorly understood group of marine invertebrate animals—brachiopods. The work, published in Science Advances, presents ...
Evolution
Oct 19, 2026
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How plants unwittingly help fungal pathogens
Infecting a maize plant is no simple task for a fungal pathogen such as Ustilago maydis. A group of researchers led by Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has now uncovered how the fungus detects that it has successfully ...
Evolution
Oct 19, 2026
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Ancient Hox code reveals the developmental roots of vertebrate hind fins and limbs
Paired appendages—the pectoral and pelvic fins of fishes and the forelimbs and hindlimbs of tetrapods—were a major innovation in vertebrate evolution. Their emergence greatly expanded the ways vertebrates could move through ...
Evolution
Oct 19, 2026
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Other news
Monarchs report their locations via… cellphone?
Crows make decisions twice as fast as humans and monkeys
A few seconds of loading time can push online learners off track
Newly identified protein pathway helps HIV stay hidden despite treatment
Everyday Mylar turned into a promising insulator for lunar habitats
Rare fossils reveal what ancient Denisovans may have looked like
Experiment shows when quantum 'cat' states stop bouncing back
El Niño then and now
Scientists demonstrate AI-designed enzyme for drug synthesis
