https://phys.org/biology-news/evolution/ en-us The latest science news on evolution Recent advances in our understanding of human evolution challenge the way we currently name and classify our ancestors, according to new research from Monash University. The study, published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology, argues that we need a rethink and proposes reclassifying all species of humans and our closely related fossil relatives that have lived in the past 4–5 million years as part of the genus Homo. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rethinking-human-ancestors-evolutionary-discoveries.html Evolution Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:30:05 EDT news706291921 Between 29,000 and 19,000 years ago, the planet experienced some of its coldest temperatures and drastic landscape changes at the peak of the Ice Age, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the period of most extensive global ice cover. Humans, despite being unaccustomed to such icy temperatures and surroundings, survived through the age. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-ancient-jomon-dna-reveals-hidden.html Evolution Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:40:10 EDT news706266198 Biologists, zoologists and psychologists have been trying to trace the origins of human language for centuries. One well-known theory, known as the social brain hypothesis, suggests that increasingly complex social lives prompted primates to evolve increasingly larger brains, which in turn led to increasingly advanced communication skills. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-body-size-habitat-vocal-repertoires.html Plants & Animals Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:20:01 EDT news706188803 A new study by the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University, published in Scientific Reports, offers an explanation for one of the striking differences between men and women: the evolutionary development of the modern human pelvis. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-male-neanderthal-pelvises-resemble-modern.html Evolution Mon, 17 Aug 2026 19:20:03 EDT news706196701 New research suggests that no matter what we eventually determine the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees to be, we'll learn it was a primate that climbed trees. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-common-ancestor-humans-chimpanzees-vertical.html Evolution Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:10:01 EDT news706200721 Insects rely on a wide range of strategies to sense their surroundings and communicate with their peers. Fireflies (Lampyridae) and some related beetles are known for their ability to produce visible light through chemical reactions that take place in specialized light-producing organs. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-amber-fossil-reveals-firefly-unprecedented.html Evolution Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:20:05 EDT news705920747 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 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 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 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