New brain gene gives us edge over apes, study suggests
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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News tagged with evolutionary time
Revising Darwin's sinking-island theory: New study helps resolve a dispute over the origins of coral-reef formations
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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1
New genes linked with bigger brains identified
A number of new links between families of genes and brain size have been identified by UK scientists, opening up a whole new avenue of research to better understand brain development and diseases like dementia.
Biotechnology
Oct 5, 2016
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Study identifies characteristics specific to human brains
Researchers led by a team at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified cellular and molecular features of the brain that set modern humans apart from their closest primate relatives and ancient human ancestors. The findings, ...
Evolution
Aug 10, 2023
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In the developing ears of opossums, echoes of evolutionary history
When we are confronted with the remarkable diversity and complexity of forms among living things—the lightweight and leathery wings of a bat, the dense networks of genes that work together to produce a functional cell—it ...
Evolution
Feb 15, 2017
0
186
How rattlesnakes got, and lost, their venom
Millions of years ago, as the snake family tree grew new branches, the ancestor of modern rattlesnakes was endowed with a genetic arsenal of toxic weaponry, including genes for toxins that poison the blood, toxins that damage ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 16, 2016
0
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Out of Eurasia, a great primate evolutionary bottleneck?
On the road to our modern human lineage, scientists speculate there were many twist and turns, evolutionary dead ends, and population bottlenecks along the way. But how large were population sizes of common ancestors of the ...
Evolution
Oct 15, 2013
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0
Amoeba offers key clue to photosynthetic evolution
(PhysOrg.com) -- The major difference between plant and animal cells is the photosynthetic process, which converts light energy into chemical energy. When light isn't available, energy is generated by breaking down carbohydrates ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 27, 2012
2
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Underlying genetic architecture of photoperiodism makes mosquitos more resistant to climate change, study finds
(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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Migrant orangutans learn which foods are good to eat by watching the locals, study shows
Orangutans are dependent on their mothers longer than any other non-human animal, nursing until they are at least six years old and living with her for up to three years more, learning how to find, choose, and process the ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2023
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