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 simple change in species composition can impact the course of evolution: A research team from the University of Bern and the University of British Columbia in Canada shows that the presence of just one other fish species ...
Evolution
Oct 15, 2025
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Scientists know some of the broad strokes for how life emerged from primordial Earth, but digging into the processes that allowed for the emergence of an oxygenated atmosphere, processes like photosynthesis, the development ...
Evolution
Oct 13, 2025
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Stoneflies (order Plecoptera) rank among the most ancient lineages of winged insects. Beyond their role as key bioindicators for evaluating freshwater ecosystem health, they carry ecological value and evolutionary significance.
Evolution
Oct 13, 2025
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At a time when biodiversity is under severe pressure from human activities, understanding how evolution works is more important than ever. A new study about vole teeth, published in PNAS, reveals that evolution doesn't always ...
Evolution
Oct 10, 2025
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Everywhere you go, you carry a population of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract that outnumber the human cells making up your body.
Evolution
Oct 9, 2025
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In the grand story of evolution, the crowning human distinction is our big brain. But our large heads have been slow to recognize a less admirable trait of Homo sapiens—self-centeredness.
Evolution
Oct 9, 2025
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Some colorful lizards and a mathematical formula from the finance sector have been used to build a new framework to model evolution.
Evolution
Oct 8, 2025
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Television nature programs and scientific papers tend to celebrate the perfection of evolved traits. But the father of evolution through natural selection, Charles Darwin, warned that evolution would produce quirks and "blunders" ...
Ecology
Oct 2, 2025
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Around the world, women on average live longer than men. This striking pattern holds true across nearly all countries and historical time periods. Although the gap between the sexes has narrowed in some countries due to medical ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 1, 2025
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New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution sheds light on the timelines and pathways of evolution of fungi, finding evidence of their influence on ancient terrestrial ecosystems. The study, led by researchers from ...
Evolution
Oct 1, 2025
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