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.
Dogs were the first of any species that people domesticated, and they have been a constant part of human life for millennia. Domesticated species are the plants and animals that have evolved to live alongside humans, providing ...
Evolution
Nov 27, 2025
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A cell is fundamentally a container—a vessel that encapsulates life at the most basic level. Many biologists believe encapsulation of chemicals may have been necessary for evolution to gain traction.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 24, 2025
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In most narratives, the story of evolution is the story of organisms emerging from the ocean and eventually populating the land. But for some species, that evolution also involved a return trip. Dozens of major mammal and ...
Evolution
Nov 20, 2025
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In most developing tissues, signals called morphogens act like lighthouses, guiding nearby cells toward their fate and telling them what to become. Each cell relies on such signals for organized structures like organs and ...
Evolution
Nov 18, 2025
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24
Seed plants are essential as a source of food, fuel, medicine, and more. Now, a multidisciplinary team of researchers has combined deep botanical knowledge with powerful genomic technology to decode and mine the DNA of non-flowering ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Nov 13, 2025
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54
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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Climate change is rapidly altering our environment—and posing major challenges for many animal species. Whether they can adapt depends largely on their genetic diversity. An international study involving researchers from ...
Evolution
Oct 17, 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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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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Many butterflies develop wing patterns that mimic other species to protect themselves from predators. While growing complex body parts like wings involves many genes, the difference between two versions of the same thing—like ...
Ecology
Oct 9, 2025
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