Evolution, as a scientific topic, encompasses the study of heritable change in populations of organisms over successive generations, driven primarily by mechanisms such as mutation, natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, and recombination. It investigates how genetic variation arises and is differentially propagated, leading to adaptation, speciation, and macroevolutionary patterns observable in phylogenies and the fossil record. Research in this area integrates population genetics, comparative genomics, quantitative genetics, and developmental biology to elucidate processes shaping genetic architecture, fitness landscapes, and phenotypic diversity, as well as the tempo and mode of evolutionary change across different ecological and genomic contexts.
Every living species on Earth has a unique geographical range, with some being widespread and others being very narrow. Several factors shape a species' range size—and one of them is the evolutionary age of a species.
Evolution
Aug 27, 2025
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The British evolutionary biologist JBS Haldane is said to have quipped that any divine being evidently had "an ordinate fondness for beetles." This "bon mot" conveyed an important truth: the "tree of life"—the family tree ...
Evolution
Aug 20, 2025
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Insects are becoming increasingly popular to grow on farms as feed for other animals, pet food and potentially as food for people. The process of bringing a wild animal into an artificial environment, known as domestication, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 14, 2025
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One of the most significant moments in the evolutionary journey of life on this planet was the transition from water to land. This huge step required animals to adapt to new challenges, including supporting their body weight ...
Florida panthers are making a comeback. That's the conclusion a team including UCLA biologists has come to following an attempt at a genetic rescue for the cat that began 30 years ago.
Plants & Animals
Jul 30, 2025
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Most genes are ancient and shared across species. But a small subset of genes are relative newcomers, spontaneously emerging from stretches of DNA that once encoded nothing at all.
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 14, 2025
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An international research team has deciphered a mechanism of the evolutionary arms race in human cells. The findings provide insights into how mobile elements in DNA hijack cellular functions—and how cells can defend themselves ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 11, 2025
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A new study that looked at gut length variation between cichlid fish species found that some of the genetic loci for the trait are sex-specific even though males and females of the same species have the same gut length. The ...
Evolution
Jul 8, 2025
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People often consider evolution to be a process that occurs in nature in the background of human society. But evolution is not separate from human beings. In fact, human cultural practices can influence evolution in wildlife. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 6, 2025
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The downstream consequences of religion, politics and war can have far-reaching effects on the environment and on the evolutionary processes affecting urban organisms, according to a new analysis from Washington University ...
Evolution
Jul 2, 2025
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