Why are there so many species of beetles and so few crocodiles?

There are more than 400,000 species of beetles and only two species of the tuatara, a reptile cousin of snakes and lizards that lives in New Zealand. Crocodiles and alligators, while nearly 250 million years old, have diversified ...

New research explores theories about aging and death in plants

(Phys.org) —According to Benjamin Franklin, "nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." But what if Franklin had it wrong—at least about death? University of Georgia ecologist Richard P. Shefferson explored ...

Guppies and sexual conflict? It's a genital arms race

(Phys.org) —It's not always easy to tell if a fish is male or female: they look more or less the same. But there are exceptions, such as guppies and, as with humans, guppy genitalia varies in size across the species.

Scientists explore hormone evolution

(PhysOrg.com) -- New research techniques on animals living in the wild are helping scientists test long-held ideas about the role of hormones in survival, according to comments by Professor of Biology Jan Randall at the recent ...

Mutations: When benefits level off

Beneficial mutations within a bacterial population accumulate during evolution, but performance tends to reach a plateau. Consequently, theoretical evolutionary models need to take into account a "braking effect" in expected ...

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