https://phys.org/biology-news/evolution/ en-us The latest science news on evolution Islands are widely recognized as natural laboratories of evolution. The ocean restricts movement among islands, allowing isolated populations to adapt to different environments and, at times, diverge into new species. However, on large islands, geographic distance may restrict movement, while environmental variation may impose divergent selection, thereby promoting adaptive divergence. Does adaptive divergence occur not only among islands but also within islands? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-flightless-beetles-evolved-distinct-snail.html Plants & Animals Sun, 16 Aug 2026 20:10:01 EDT news705927661 Decades of climate change have not left Europe's mountain vegetation unscathed. However, the changes observed do not always match expectations. As a new international study by a research team led by researchers from the University of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the BOKU University shows, alpine vegetation has shifted significantly towards warmth-associated species. However, the direct link between this so-called thermophilization and local warming is surprisingly weak. The study has recently been published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-europe-mountain-summits-vegetation-ways.html Evolution Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:00:01 EDT news705935104 Why do two individuals faced with the same information sometimes make completely different decisions? It is a question made famous by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, whose book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" explored the contrast between rapid, intuitive decisions and slower, more deliberative thinking in humans. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fast-wild-fish-reveal-cognition.html Evolution Thu, 13 Aug 2026 10:40:02 EDT news705832989 The Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a cousin of the North American black widow spider, is known to practice sexual cannibalism, which is somewhat common among spider species. However, the male Australian redback has also been observed facilitating the process with strange moves. Despite the complexity of these behaviors, a new study, published in Biology Letters, indicates that one of these behaviors arises from simple genetics, while another may be more complex. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-complex-suicidal-somersault-behavior-male.html Plants & Animals Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news705752783 Long before humans discovered biodegradable plastics, microorganisms had already invented their own. Many bacteria and archaea produce natural bioplastics called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), storing them inside their cells as reserves of carbon and energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nature-bioplastic-fed-animals-hundreds.html Evolution Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:00:01 EDT news705655861 Some cynodonts may have been giving birth to live young much sooner in evolutionary history than previously assumed. A new Frontiers in Mammal Science study has offered the first compelling evidence that cynodonts may have been viviparous—a reproductive mode characterized by live birth. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-million-year-fossil-story-mammalian.html Evolution Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:02 EDT news705656222 For many people, the fear of venomous snakes is linked to one thing: pain. Yet new research led by scientists at Bangor University suggests that, for Europe's vipers, at least, causing pain may never have been a driving force in the evolution of their venom. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-pain-isnt-european-viper-venoms.html Evolution Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:40:05 EDT news705757441 Ancient trees—those that are remarkably old for their species—are declining worldwide, raising concerns about the loss of the ecological and evolutionary history they represent. Their exceptional longevity has long encouraged the idea that they act as genetic reservoirs, preserving variation that may have been lost from younger populations. But does great age itself make an ancient tree genetically unique? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-history-age-genomic-importance-ancient.html Plants & Animals Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:20:07 EDT news705754082 The first bird to inhabit Earth used its robust hind legs to make two or three powerful leaps while flapping its way to flight, according to a study by the University of Southampton published in Developmental Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-evidence-earliest-birds-flight.html Evolution Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705752805 A new archaeobotanical study by researchers from the University of Oxford and Kiel University (CAU) has revealed that increases in cereal grain size at the dawn of agriculture, more than 11,000 years ago, were initially driven by plants' plastic responses to favorable growing conditions, rather than by genetic selection under cultivation as previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-early-farmers-larger-grains-rainfall.html Evolution Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news705669182 A centromere is a specific region on a chromosome that ensures that, when a cell divides, the chromosome separates accurately so each new cell receives the correct amount of genetic material. Despite their essential role, centromeres remain one of the last major blind spots in the human genome. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genome-reveals-centromeres-fastest-regions.html Evolution Tue, 11 Aug 2026 15:20:02 EDT news705658501 Toxoplasma gondii, or Toxoplasma, is a parasite that infects hundreds of millions of people around the world. Although cases are often mild, it can cause severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems and developing fetuses. It can also persist for years by forming long-lived cysts in tissues, allowing infection to become chronic. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-toxoplasma-parasite-reveals-unusual-strategy.html Evolution Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:00:01 EDT news705586262 Reproduction is central to the survival of all living organisms. Over millions of years, animal species on Earth have evolved a remarkable variety of mating strategies, ranging from physical fights with competitors to mesmerizing color changes, songs that attract mates and rhythmic movements that resemble dancing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-anglerfish-parasitically-fuse-females.html Plants & Animals Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705585515 We call them "man's best friend," and the evidence supports it. Dogs have been found buried alongside humans in graves dating back 14,000 years. They appear in ancient art from every continent, and they feature in the mythology, religion and folklore of virtually every culture. Archaeological evidence shows they have helped us hunt, protected our homes, hauled our possessions, herded our livestock and provided companionship through the entirety of recorded history. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-dogs-evolved-differently-globe-human.html Evolution Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news705243839 Snakes are highly modified lizards, with more than 4,000 living species today. The origin of snakes has long been one of evolutionary biology's most debated questions. Their sparse fossil record has made it hard to pin down what drove the evolution of their limbless body plan. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-early-snakes-explored-life-underground.html Evolution Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news704977609 Scientists have made a surprising finding about how an asexually reproducing stick insect has evolved. Research led by Dr. Darren Parker, lecturer in evolutionary biology at Bangor University, studied the genes of several species of Timema (a type of stick insect), which have not engaged in sexual reproduction for 1 million years—the longest known asexual period for any insect. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-million-years-sex-erase-insects.html Plants & Animals Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:00:02 EDT news705330364 You need to tread carefully among the leaf litter of the Indonesian scrubland and its tropical rainforests. The dead leaves might seem caught in a gentle breeze, but there's more here than meets the eye. Try plucking one from the ground and you'll find an insect caught in the act of prayer. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-creatures-born-code-generative-ai.html Evolution Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:11 EDT news705329101 One of the most important milestones in the early life of an organism is when the embryo breaks symmetry and arranges itself to form the head (anterior) at one end and tail (posterior) at the other end. Scientists have used the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) for decades as a model species to study the process of forming the anterior-posterior body axis, along with countless other early developmental and genetic processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genes-result-flies-evolved-multiple.html Evolution Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:40:04 EDT news705315661 Heme, a bioactive form of iron, has numerous essential functions in the cell. As a key component of hemoglobin, it enables oxygen transport in the blood. In addition, it performs important functions in other proteins in processes ranging from energy conversion to signal transduction. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-mitochondria-sensors-essential-iron-molecule.html Evolution Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:20:01 EDT news705247981 Around 15 years ago, I created a Facebook page for my cat, Sandi. Friends thought it was weird. Today, social media accounts for cats attract millions of followers, cats travel in backpacks and strollers, and surveys consistently show that the overwhelming majority of owners regard their pets as family. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cats-tamer-people.html Evolution Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:00:03 EDT news705237842 A new study led by a Duke University scientist overturns a long-held idea about how primates, including humans, came to have such large and sophisticated brains. The research finds that the dramatic expansion of the primate neocortex was driven largely by vision, not by the disproportionate growth of the frontal lobe often associated with higher reasoning. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fossil-vision-frontal-lobe-drove.html Evolution Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:10 EDT news705166741 Fruit, honey and other naturally sweet foods may have helped fuel the evolution of the human brain, according to new research from the University of Sydney and the University of Glasgow. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-sugars-fuel-evolution-human-brain.html Evolution Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:03 EDT news705228625 The cell membrane is a fundamental biological structure. These lipid layers surround and organize every cell, controlling everything from signaling to transport. But for membranes to function properly, their physicochemical properties must sit within a narrow range: for instance, not too rigid or too fluid. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-evolution-fine-tunes-molecular-mechanisms.html Evolution Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:20:05 EDT news705235801 Songbirds, birds belonging to the Passeriformes order, are best known for their ability to produce complex musical sounds. Yet some songbird species also have another remarkable skill: They can easily remove the tough layer covering seeds (i.e., the husk) before swallowing their nutritious interiors. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-songbirds-sharper-de-husk-seeds.html Plants & Animals Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:00:04 EDT news705148144 A new study provides experimental evidence that wild capuchin monkeys use more than just physical cues when selecting stone tools; they also rely on visible signs that a stone has previously been used for this purpose. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-worn-wild-capuchin-monkeys-stones.html Plants & Animals Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:20:09 EDT news705154622 The 2019 heat wave that struck Mo'orea—a volcanic island in French Polynesia—swept through its coral reefs like an invisible wildfire. Colorful, lively corals bleached into ghostly, chalk-white skeletons as soaring ocean temperatures triggered a mass mortality event (MME) that wiped out up to 80% of some local coral populations. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genomic-evidence-coral-reefs-rewriting.html Evolution Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:10:01 EDT news705163262 Neanderthals were generally more strongly built than most people living today. Their bones show signs of large muscles, and they had characteristic features such as prominent brow ridges and relatively short tooth roots. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-neanderthal-growth-hormone-receptor-muscle.html Evolution Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705150601 How and where did the first forms of life arise? These are the main questions driving research at the Institute of Molecular Evolution at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU). In a new publication in Science Advances, an international team led by Düsseldorf biologists uncovers pioneering insights into the network of chemical reactions that the very first cells used to make the building blocks of life and the energy sources they used to drive those reactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-life-free-cells-emerged-bacteria.html Evolution Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:13 EDT news705143582 Dinosaurs are famous for being big, from the towering Tyrannosaurus rex to the colossal Apatosaurus. But a new study published today in the journal Evolution by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and Princeton University suggests that one of the greatest mysteries of dinosaur evolution isn't how some species became giants—it's why even the smallest dinosaurs never became truly tiny. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-dinosaurs-explores-evolution-biggest.html Evolution Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:00:05 EDT news705050822 Bull sharks have a slight preference for spending time with their relatives, new research shows. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-family-social-bull-sharks.html Evolution Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:10:01 EDT news704963804