https://phys.org/biology-news/evolution/ en-us The latest science news on evolution As married research professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dustin Gilbert and Anne Murray often discuss their work once they get home each night. Their fields of study rarely crossover. That changed six years ago, however, and it was insects that sparked the intersection. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-bee-magnetism-widespread-species.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 12:27:47 EDT news697894022 Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered new information suggesting a potential connection between Homo erectus and modern humans, while also developing new, less invasive paleoproteomics methods of fossil research. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-fossil-teeth-china-uncover-year.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news697822390 In many primate species, males are much larger than their female counterparts, which is generally attributed to male competition for mates (sexual selection). But bigger bodies may not just be about alpha males defeating rivals. They could also come about because of competition between neighboring social groups, according to a new study published in the journal Biology Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-rivalry-neighboring-groups-key-driver.html Plants & Animals Wed, 13 May 2026 10:30:01 EDT news697886163 Researchers at the Technion have discovered how changes in genetic regulatory sequences can lead to alterations in the form and structure of animals—even when genetic regulatory systems are stable and resistant to change. The study, published in Science Advances, was led by Dr. Ella Preger-Ben Noon and Ph.D. candidate Areej Said-Ahmad from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-stability-paradox-evolution.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 09:16:16 EDT news697882502 More than 500 million years ago, during what is known as the Cambrian period, the seas and oceans on Earth were filled with a myriad of marine animals, many of which have now become extinct. This evolutionary burst in new forms of life, referred to as the Cambrian explosion, paved the way for the evolution of many major animal groups that still populate our planet today. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-strange-million-year-marine-fossils.html Evolution Wed, 13 May 2026 08:00:02 EDT news697721762 Human childbirth is commonly viewed as uniquely difficult and dangerous. The reason: The combination of bipedalism and large brains creates a tight fit between the baby and the birth canal. Research at the University of Vienna has now shown that many other mammals—from domestic livestock to wild species—face similar birth problems and mortality. In some species, these complications even occur as often as in some human populations, such as hunter-gatherers without modern medical care. The findings suggest that difficult childbirth is not uniquely human. The study is published in Biological Reviews. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-human-childbirth-uniquely-difficult-mammals.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 17:30:01 EDT news697821182 Although about half of primate species play as adults with other adults, a team of international researchers has just unlocked a key factor in the reason why some don't. The answer lies in the type of society in which the animals live. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-despotic-primate-societies-rarely-play.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 16:40:02 EDT news697815339 Plant roots are far more than simple absorption organs: they can adjust their structure to better cope with water stress. Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the University of Lausanne (UNIL), studied 284 natural varieties of Arabidopsis thaliana and discovered that the amount and distribution of suberin—a protective barrier deposited in roots—vary according to geographic origin and climate. The researchers also identified a new gene regulating suberin that is linked to the water-stress hormone. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-roots-reveal-climate-varieties-reshape.html Plants & Animals Tue, 12 May 2026 13:20:14 EDT news697802140 Most of what scientists know about face development comes from studies in bony vertebrates such as mice, chickens, and zebrafish. However, their evolutionary counterparts, cartilaginous fishes, have remained largely unexplored. This gap has limited our understanding of how facial structures evolved at the origin of jawed vertebrates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-shark-uncovers-million-year-blueprint.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 17:20:06 EDT news697732787 When species are subjected to changing environments, they can survive in their current location through genetic adaptation. However, this ability is not unlimited. In a study published in PNAS, biomathematician Jitka Polechová of the University of Vienna shows that, even when environmental change is only gradual, there is a tipping point beyond which adaptation can suddenly fail. When that happens, species' ranges may shrink or populations may fragment into separate subpopulations. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gradual-environmental-trigger-sudden-species.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 15:40:01 EDT news697723681 When the Atlantic herring colonized the Baltic Sea thousands of years ago, it needed to adapt to the low salinity. Genes with a vital role in the functioning of sperm, eggs and embryos were crucial to this adaptation. A new study by researchers from Uppsala University and other institutions, published in the journal PNAS, shows that mutations in four specific genes were particularly important. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atlantic-herring-brackish-baltic-sea.html Plants & Animals Mon, 11 May 2026 15:00:04 EDT news697719117 We are all born completely helpless, with little of the knowledge and skills we will need to survive as adults. Even our ability to communicate is almost entirely learned from our parents or caregivers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-birds-babies-humans-zebra-finches.html Plants & Animals Mon, 11 May 2026 13:00:05 EDT news697718342 Biologists have long puzzled over why organisms with similar numbers of protein-coding genes can differ so dramatically in nervous system complexity. New research points to a potential link between the expanding diversity of RNA-binding proteins, which shape how genetic instructions are processed, and greater brain sophistication. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-paradox-similar-genes-brains.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 11:37:23 EDT news697717929 When scientists think about how plants will respond to climate change, they often look north. As temperatures rise, many species are expected to shift their ranges toward cooler regions with a loss of populations in warmer habitats. But new research from the University of Virginia, published in the journal Evolution Letters, suggests the story may be more complicated and more hopeful. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-populations-clues-climate-resilience.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 09:00:01 EDT news697708021 Humans and other animals are constantly required to make decisions under uncertain conditions or while in rapidly changing environments. Past psychology and biology studies showed that some decision-making strategies can be more effective than others in specific circumstances. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-uncertainty-spikes-rewards-backfires-strategy.html Evolution Mon, 11 May 2026 08:00:01 EDT news697453341 The molecule cAMP, which plays essential roles in mammalian cells, is less well understood in plants. In a new Science Advances paper, researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and international collaborators demonstrate that plants use two forms of cAMP in parallel to regulate normal cellular processes and respond to stress, while maintaining crosstalk between them. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-evolved-distinct-functions-fundamental-molecule.html Evolution Fri, 08 May 2026 14:00:08 EDT news697459922 The four-foot-tall Emperor penguin of Antarctica may be the most iconic member of this unique family of birds, but 17 other species of penguins populate the Southern Hemisphere, many of them confined to isolated islands that make them hard to study. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-gentoo-penguins-species-totally.html Evolution Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:01 EDT news697461182 When an asteroid as big as Mount Everest struck Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and roughly a third of life on the planet. But many plants survived the devastation. In a new study published in Cell, researchers reveal that the accidental duplications of genomes—a natural phenomenon—might have helped many flowering plants survive some of the most extreme environmental upheavals in Earth's history. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-survived-dinosaur-asteroid-duplicating-genomes.html Plants & Animals Fri, 08 May 2026 11:00:03 EDT news697367702 A carnivorous fruit fly living in bubbling African streams may sound like a fever dream. However, with the help of DNA analysis of a pinned insect from a museum in Zurich, researchers have managed to draw an evolutionary map of a mysterious species that has not been seen since 1981. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-strange-fruit-fly-bloodthirsty-underwater.html Plants & Animals Fri, 08 May 2026 09:40:12 EDT news697450561 In a new study published in the journal Science, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and their international collaborators including Boise State University present the first global assessment of risk to the angiosperm (flowering plants) tree of life, warning that more than a fifth of all angiosperm evolutionary history is at risk of extinction. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-evolutionary-history-extinction-experts.html Evolution Fri, 08 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news697448101 Shapes of beaks and snouts come in an extraordinary range of forms, reflecting adaptations to different lifestyles and environments. Yet beneath this diversity lies a paradox: across birds and mammals, faces are built using deeply conserved developmental programs. So how does evolution generate such striking differences without reinventing the underlying machinery? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-evolution-sculpts-facial-birds-mammals.html Evolution Thu, 07 May 2026 12:20:04 EDT news697367342 The myriapoda group of arthropods includes the many-legged centipedes and millipedes that most people are familiar with. Although myriapods are all terrestrial creatures, researchers are unclear about when and how they evolved their many legs. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-ancient-sea-fossils-millipede-centipede.html Evolution Thu, 07 May 2026 10:40:03 EDT news697292388 The human gut harbors a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), which influences digestion, the immune system and metabolism. A research team led by the University of Vienna has used the "reverse ecology" analytical approach to demonstrate that many known gut bacterial species consist of several evolutionarily distinct groups that have adapted to different conditions in the gut. Some of these populations are associated with advanced age, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes. The findings have now been published in Nature and may in future improve the search for biomarkers and, in the long term, enable more precise therapies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gut-bacteria-reveal-hidden-evolutionary.html Evolution Wed, 06 May 2026 18:00:08 EDT news697302051 A study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology describes a new species of dinosaur discovered during construction of a road-rail terminal in the city of Davinópolis in the state of Maranhão, in the Northeast of Brazil. The animal, named Dasosaurus tocantinensis, was approximately 20 meters long and lived about 120 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-necked-dinosaur-northeast-brazil-european.html Evolution Wed, 06 May 2026 16:40:03 EDT news697300165 Speech is a crowning achievement of human evolution, the skill that separates us from every other animal. So, it would stand to reason that evolving this capability required some enormous leap in brain complexity. A study published in Nature suggests otherwise. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mice-human-speech.html Plants & Animals Wed, 06 May 2026 11:00:17 EDT news697283476 A new study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals the surprising neurological landscape of fish brains. Harvard researchers map the internal structures of ray-finned fishes' brains in 3D detail, discovering brain size and shape, as well as the endocasts, vary far more than expected. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-skull-full-evolutionary-secrets-fish.html Evolution Tue, 05 May 2026 19:10:08 EDT news697096082 Some of the most beautiful creatures to grace the ancient seas, the ammonites, disappeared in the end-Cretaceous mass extinction that finished off the dinosaurs 65.5 million years ago. "It's a tragic story, because this incredibly diverse group made it through multiple mass extinctions, including the most dramatic mass extinction event in history," the Permian-Triassic extinction, which killed off 96% of marine species about 252 million years ago, says Michael Schmutzer, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Oxford in England. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tiny-eggs-ammonites-nautiloids-survived.html Evolution Tue, 05 May 2026 15:40:05 EDT news697200661 For decades, scientists have sought to explain the so-called "Cambrian Explosion," a pivotal period over 500 million years ago when a remarkable diversity of animal life appeared in the fossil record. But rather than a sudden burst of innovation, new research suggests this diversification was the result of a gradual, multi-stage process, driven in large part by the evolution of the brain. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-brain-scientist-rethinks-cambrian-explosion.html Evolution Tue, 05 May 2026 14:20:01 EDT news697198741 Like people, nonhuman primates live in groups that vary in size and shape depending on the species. Some primate groups are small and simple; others are large and more layered. Over the decades, primatologists have observed that baboons and other closely related monkeys, the African papionins, typically live in two types of social groups: single-level and multi-level societies. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-complicated-reveals-social-networks-baboons.html Plants & Animals Tue, 05 May 2026 13:50:02 EDT news697206481 Plants use sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich sugars and oxygen in various ways (photosynthesis). Drought is a major challenge in this process. A research team led by Wolfram Weckwerth at the University of Vienna has now demonstrated how a particularly water-efficient variant of this process (CAM) has evolved in diverse ways within a single tropical tree genus. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-unraveling-evolution-extraordinary-photosynthesis-tropical.html Plants & Animals Tue, 05 May 2026 13:20:05 EDT news697198081