Anatomic variation, as a biological process, refers to the genetically and developmentally determined divergence in the form, size, position, or number of anatomical structures among individuals of the same species. It arises from coordinated molecular, cellular, and morphogenetic events during embryogenesis and postnatal growth, including differential gene expression, signaling gradients, and tissue patterning mechanisms that modulate organogenesis and body plan architecture. These variations are typically nonpathological and occur within a spectrum of species-typical phenotypes, contributing to phenotypic diversity, influencing physiological function, and modulating susceptibility to disease, surgical risk, and outcomes of diagnostic and interventional procedures.
Heterostyly, a floral polymorphism where a species produces two or three distinct flower types with reciprocal arrangements of stigmas and anthers, boosts pollination accuracy, reduces sexual interference, and encourages ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 18, 2025
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At Cornell, Dawn Chen was counting sperm stored in a pair of organs called spermathecae in female fruit flies, fully expecting the counts to be roughly the same. The two spermathecae, which store and release sperm after a ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 16, 2025
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Arrow worms, or chaetognaths, are strange ocean predators that have puzzled scientists for more than a century. They have transparent, torpedo-shaped bodies, sharp grasping spines near their mouths, and sensory structures ...
Evolution
Aug 14, 2025
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Research from an international team finds that the human gut is a site of rapid change, with recent and important deviations from other mammals, including our closest living relative, the chimpanzee.
Evolution
Aug 6, 2025
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Could detecting static electricity be a factor in explaining why treehopper insects have evolved such bizarre body shapes?
Plants & Animals
Aug 2, 2025
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233
Almost all animals have symmetrical bodies. Bilateral symmetry is almost universal in all animals and is only very rarely broken—with exceptions like the five-armed starfish or crab species that have one large and one small ...
Evolution
Jul 30, 2025
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A newly published study has found that males of some of our earliest known ancestors were significantly larger than females. The pronounced difference in body size present in both Australopithecus afarensis (the East African ...
Evolution
Jul 29, 2025
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882
Many species of songbirds have evolved to have strikingly colorful plumage, aiding them in catching the eye of mates, signaling, and recognizing each other. These eye-catching patterns have long interested scientists, who ...
What makes the human brain distinctive? A new study published in Cell identifies two genes linked to human brain features and provides a road map to discover many more. The research could lead to insights into the functioning ...
Evolution
Jul 21, 2025
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145
Animals often evolve to have certain characteristics that help them escape predators more effectively. Some of these characteristics work to deflect predators away from the animal's head. Many butterfly species have evolved ...
