Biological evolution is the heritable change in characteristics of biological populations over successive generations, driven by mechanisms such as mutation, recombination, genetic drift, gene flow, and natural and sexual selection. It operates through changes in allele frequencies within gene pools, constrained and shaped by developmental, physiological, and ecological contexts. Evolutionary processes generate adaptation, diversification, and extinction, producing hierarchical patterns from microevolutionary shifts within populations to macroevolutionary dynamics among lineages. At the molecular level, evolution involves sequence variation, genomic rearrangements, and changes in gene regulation, which collectively underlie phenotypic diversity and the emergence of complex biological organization.
A tiny freshwater snail from New Zealand is giving scientists a glimpse into evolution in motion. University of Iowa biologists have traced the snail's evolutionary history through its genome and discovered that the species ...
Evolution
Nov 12, 2025
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Animals from completely different branches of the tree of life, such as insects, worms and vertebrates, independently evolved similar genetic solutions to survive on land, according to a new study from researchers at the ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 12, 2025
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Species that evolved rapidly in body size—such as the greater kudu and bighorn sheep—have fewer cancerous tumors, but the same is not true for non-cancerous tumors, according to new research.
Plants & Animals
Nov 11, 2025
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Research led by the University of Auckland has cast light on the evolutionary origins of one of nature's first motors, which developed 3.5 billion to 4 billion years ago to propel bacteria.
Evolution
Nov 11, 2025
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Every mind-bending molecule in nature has an evolutionary origin; a defense against being eaten, a lure for pollinators, or perhaps a happy biochemical accident. Though they seem extraordinary, life has evolved psychedelic ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 10, 2025
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Every human face is unique, allowing us to distinguish between individuals. We know little about how facial features are encoded in our DNA, but we may be able to learn more about how our faces develop by looking at our ancient ...
Evolution
Nov 10, 2025
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Saliva is a bodily fluid most of us take for granted despite the significant roles it plays: aiding in digestion, maintaining strong teeth and defending against oral disease. However, the evolution of human saliva has been ...
Evolution
Nov 7, 2025
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The bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is a haunting presence in many hospitals in the United States, where more than one in 100 patients are treated for A. baumannii infections. This species of bacteria is known ...
Evolution
Nov 6, 2025
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Genomes are key to unlocking life's evolutionary history. The presence and absence of certain genetic sequences and mutations can give us clues to the order in which species diverge. However, even state-of-the-art methods ...
Evolution
Nov 5, 2025
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Modern humans inherited part of their ancestry from multiple, genetically distinct Denisovan groups through interbreeding events. However, the history of contact with Denisovans remains unclear.
Evolution
Nov 4, 2025
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