The three different formations of South Pacific coral-reef islands have long fascinated geologists. Tahiti's coral forms a "fringing" reef, a shelf growing close to the island's shore. The "barrier" reefs of Bora Bora are ...
Earth Sciences
May 13, 2013
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Henry David Thoreau obsessively recorded the flowering time of plants around Concord, Mass., in the 1850s, while Japanese naturalists took keen note of the flowering time of cherry blossom trees for centuries before that. ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2013
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Cilia, microscopic whip-like organelles that protrude from the surface of many cell types, are almost ubiquitous. They are present in all eukaryotes—organisms whose cells have a nucleus—and have diversified to perform ...
Biotechnology
Jan 2, 2013
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Even on the evolutionary time scale of tens of millions of years there is such a thing as being in the right shape at the right time. An anatomical difference in the ability to seize the moment, according to a study led by ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 24, 2012
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How does evolution innovate? We exist because our ancestors have had the ability to adapt successfully to changes in their environment; however, merely examining present-day organisms can limit our understanding of the actual ...
Evolution
Dec 11, 2012
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Scientists have taken a step forward in helping to solve one of life's greatest mysteries – what makes us human?
Biotechnology
Nov 14, 2012
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(Phys.org)—A comprehensive study at the University of Oregon, using cutting-edge genetic tools, shows that temperate and polar species of animals may be much more resilient to rapid climate change than previously expected.
Ecology
Oct 11, 2012
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Body hair in mammals is typically thought to have evolved to keep us warm in colder prehistoric times, but a new study suggests that it may do the opposite, at least in elephants. Epidermal hair may have evolved to help the ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 10, 2012
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Dividing tasks among different individuals is a more efficient way to get things done, whether you are an ant, a honeybee or a human.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 7, 2012
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Environmental change is the selective force that preserves adaptive traits in organisms and is a primary driver of evolution. However, it is less well known that evolutionary change in organisms also trigger fundamental changes ...
Evolution
May 23, 2012
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