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Evolution news
Model suggests how ancient RNA may have gained self-cutting ability essential for life
Scientists have long pondered the beginnings of life on Earth. One theory is that RNA, which is ubiquitous across all domains of life, played a central role in early life. Similar to DNA, RNA possesses the ability to store ...
Evolution
2 hours ago
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Ancient isolation's impact on modern ecology: How deep biogeographic divides drive divergent evolutionary paths
A new study led by Michigan State University researcher Peter Williams sheds light on the profound influence of deep geographic isolation on the evolution of mammals. Published in Nature Communications, the research reveals ...
Evolution
7 hours ago
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161
Organoids research identifies factor involved in brain expansion in humans
What makes us human? According to neurobiologists it is our neocortex. This outer layer of the brain is rich in neurons and lets us do abstract thinking, create art, and speak complex languages. An international team led ...
Evolution
20 hours ago
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New research helps paleontologists to understand horse fossils and those that are missing from the record
Many people assume that horses first came to the Americas when Spanish explorers brought them here about 500 years ago. In fact, recent research has confirmed a European origin for horses associated with humans in the American ...
Evolution
Mar 27, 2024
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Secrets of the naked mole-rat: New study reveals how their unique metabolism protects them from heart attacks
This unusual, subterranean mammal with extreme longevity shows genetic adaptations to low oxygen environments which could offer opportunities for advancing other areas of physiological and medical research in humans, including ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2024
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Genetic secrets from 4,000-year-old teeth illuminate the impact of changing human diets over the centuries
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have recovered remarkably preserved microbiomes from two teeth dating back 4,000 years, found in an Irish limestone cave. Genetic analyses of these microbiomes reveal major changes in ...
Evolution
Mar 27, 2024
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173
Rock-wallabies are 'little Napoleons' when biting, thus compensating for their small size
Australian rock-wallabies are "little Napoleons" when it comes to compensating for small size, packing much more punch into their bite than larger relatives.
Plants & Animals
Mar 27, 2024
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How lizards avoid being killed by venomous snakes
A University of Queensland-led study has shed light on how some lizards have evolved to resist deadly neurotoxins from Australia's most venomous snakes.
Evolution
Mar 26, 2024
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How did nervous systems, with their incredible complexity, evolve across different species?
New research supported by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute's Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars program zeroes in on the surprising observation that many genes found in brain cells and synapses—the points of communication ...
Evolution
Mar 26, 2024
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New fossil rove beetle is a first in Africa
In the heart of Botswana, a discovery at the Orapa Diamond Mine has unveiled a fossil that sheds light on the evolutionary history of beetles.
Evolution
Mar 25, 2024
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Researchers discover evolutionary 'tipping point' in fungi
Scientists have found a "tipping point" in the evolution of fungi that throttles their growth and sculpts their shapes. The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, demonstrate how small changes in environmental factors ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2024
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1725
Post-menopausal whales may help solve the mystery of female longevity
Although life can seem to go whizzing by, humans are actually weirdly long-lived animals. A new study helps explain why: menopause.
Plants & Animals
Mar 24, 2024
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Decoding the shared genetic toolkit for male sex determination
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen have broken new ground by demonstrating that an HMG-box gene in brown algae is crucial for determining male sex. This breakthrough significantly expands our ...
Evolution
Mar 22, 2024
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Study shows how the chemical properties of RNA molecules could have facilitated the origin of life
How was complex life able to develop on the inhospitable early Earth? At the beginning there must have been ribonucleic acid (RNA) to carry the first genetic information. To build up complexity in their sequences, these biomolecules ...
Evolution
Mar 22, 2024
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In a first, evolutionary biologists have identified a gene that influences visual preferences in tropical butterflies
Tropical Heliconius butterflies are well known for the bright color patterns on their wings. These striking color patterns not only scare off predators—the butterflies are poisonous and are distasteful to birds—but are ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 21, 2024
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Examining the evolutionary history of the formation of forceps and maternal care in earwigs
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba examined the developmental processes and reproduction-related behavior of 8 of the 11 families of Dermaptera (earwigs) in detail and compared with those reported in previous studies. ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 21, 2024
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Rays were more diverse 150 million years ago than previously thought
In a new study published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology, an international team of scientists led by paleobiologist Julia Türtscher from the University of Vienna has explored the puzzling world of rays that lived ...
Evolution
Mar 21, 2024
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Across oceans and millennia: Decoding the origin and history of the bottle gourd
In a fascinating dive into the past, a team of researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and USDA has uncovered intriguing details about the origins and spread of the bottle gourd, one of the oldest domesticated ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2024
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New spy cameras reveal surprising behaviors of chacma baboons
An ingenious new camera collar has offered researchers from our Anthropology department an unprecedented glimpse into the secret lives of wild baboons in South Africa.
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2024
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Did the first cells evolve in soda lakes?
Soda lakes, which are dominated by dissolved sodium and carbonate species, could have provided the right conditions for the first cells, according to a new study published in PNAS Nexus.
Evolution
Mar 20, 2024
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