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.
A paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution finds that the relatively high rate of autism-spectrum disorders in humans is likely due to how humans evolved in the past. The paper is titled "A general principle of neuronal evolution ...
Evolution
Sep 9, 2025
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The microscopic alliance between algae and bacteria offers rare, step-by-step snapshots of how bacteria lose genes and adapt to increasing host dependence. This is shown by a new study led by researchers from Stockholm University, ...
Evolution
Aug 29, 2025
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Small, colorless, and blind, amblyopsid cavefishes inhabit subterranean waters throughout the eastern United States. In a new study, Yale researchers reveal insights into just how these distinctive cave dwellers evolved—and ...
Evolution
Aug 27, 2025
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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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