Birds have been shaped by evolution in many ways that have made them distinct from their vertebrate cousins. Over millions of years of evolution, our feathered friends have taken to the skies, accompanied by unique changes ...
Evolution
Apr 14, 2021
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Humans inhabit an incredible range of environments across the globe, from arid deserts to frozen tundra, tropical rainforests, and some of the highest peaks on Earth. Indigenous populations that have lived in these extreme ...
Evolution
Feb 12, 2021
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The past several decades have been hard on Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee. Originally native to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Western honey bees have spread worldwide thanks to the nutritional and medicinal ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 8, 2020
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209
A unique DNA packaging mechanism may enhance night vision in owls, helping them succeed as the only avian nocturnal predators.
Evolution
Oct 19, 2020
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Out of the vast number of life forms on the planet, it is estimated that fewer than 25% have been characterized, perhaps even fewer than 0.01%. Among this list, microscopic organisms are especially poorly represented: While ...
Evolution
Oct 6, 2020
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A billion years ago, a single-celled eukaryote engulfed a cyanobacterium—an organism capable of converting the sun's energy into food in the form of carbohydrates. In one of the single most pivotal events in the history ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 13, 2020
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For nearly a century, biologists have modeled the evolution of sex chromosomes—the genetic instructions that primarily determine whether an individual will develop into a male or female (or a certain mating type)—resulting ...
Evolution
Jun 2, 2020
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Why is sex so popular? The question of why so many organisms reproduce sexually has mystified evolutionary biologists since before Darwin, who wrote, "The whole subject is as yet hidden in darkness." In a recent article in ...
Evolution
May 21, 2020
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Sex is an ancient and widespread phenomenon, with over 99 percent of eukaryotes (cells with nuclei) partaking in some form of sexual reproduction, at least occasionally. Given the relative ubiquity and presumed importance ...
Evolution
Dec 23, 2019
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21
Crack open a biology textbook and you will find the table summarizing the standard genetic code. This refers to the set of rules by which the cell "decodes" the information contained in DNA and "translates" it into the amino ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 29, 2019
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