It's reassuring to think humans are evolution's ultimate destination—but research shows we may be an accident
Depending upon how you do the counting, there are around 9 million species on Earth, from the simplest single-celled organisms to humans.
Depending upon how you do the counting, there are around 9 million species on Earth, from the simplest single-celled organisms to humans.
Evolution
Sep 6, 2023
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Your gut bacteria need vitamin B12 just as much as you do. Though DNA is usually passed from parent to child, new research shows gut bacteria transfer genes through "sex" in order to take their vitamins.
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 1, 2022
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Sperm are influenced by diet, and the effects arise rapidly. This is the conclusion of a study by researchers at Linköping University, in which healthy young men were fed a diet rich in sugar. The study, which has been published ...
Evolution
Dec 27, 2019
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It turns out those cellulose-based thickening agents found in common foods can be digested. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have shown that our gut bacteria can feed on these large molecules—something thought ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 12, 2025
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2289
A new study has found that evolution is not as unpredictable as previously thought, which could allow scientists to explore which genes could be useful to tackle real-world issues such as antibiotic resistance, disease, and ...
Evolution
Jan 3, 2024
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Using machine learning, a team of Western computer scientists and biologists have identified an underlying genomic signature for 29 different COVID-19 DNA sequences.
Biotechnology
Apr 28, 2020
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Researchers have developed a CRISPR-Cas9 approach to enable gene editing in cockroaches, according to a study published by Cell Press on May 16th in the journal Cell Reports Methods. The simple and efficient technique, named ...
Biotechnology
May 16, 2022
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2217
A combined team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences reports that a certain fungus uses chemicals to trick male flies into mating with infected dead females. ...
Ever since the first Neanderthal bones were discovered in 1856, people have wondered about these ancient hominins. How are they different from us? How much are they like us? Did our ancestors get along with them? Fight them? ...
Evolution
Jul 11, 2024
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2137
Currently, there are several hypotheses surrounding the disappearance of Neanderthals. While they all have at least some scientific support, researchers can't agree on which—or which combination—is most likely. In a new study, ...