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.
Evolutionary biologists have long believed that the human-biting mosquito, Culex pipiens form molestus, evolved from the bird-biting form, Culex pipiens form pipiens, in subways and cellars in northern Europe over the past ...
Evolution
Oct 23, 2025
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Humans evolved large brains and flat faces at a surprisingly rapid pace compared to other apes, likely reflecting the evolutionary advantages of these traits, finds a new analysis of ape skulls by UCL researchers.
Plants & Animals
Oct 21, 2025
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An international study changes the view that exposure to the toxic metal lead is largely a post-industrial phenomenon. The research reveals that our human ancestors were periodically exposed to lead for over two million years, ...
Evolution
Oct 15, 2025
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For more than a century, scientists have been piecing together the puzzle of human evolution, examining fossil evidence to understand the transition from our earliest ancestors to modern humans.
Evolution
Oct 15, 2025
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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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35
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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95
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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