Evolutionary Biology News

December 28, 2024

Top Headlines

Histone Modification Important for Correct Blood Cell Formation

Dec. 18, 2024 — Molecular biologists decode the epigenetic silencing of problematic retroviral gene ...

How Do Monkeys Recognize Snakes So Fast?

Dec. 26, 2024 — A researcher has found that the rapid detection of snakes by monkeys is because of the presence of snake scales as a visual cue. His findings highlight an evolutionary adaptation of primates to identify snakes based on specific visual features. ...

Fly Vs. Wasp: Stealing a Defense Move Helps Thwart a Predator

Dec. 25, 2024 — Many flies are plagued by parasitic wasps, which lay their eggs in fly larvae, turning them into surrogate wombs for wasp larvae. One common fly has successfully fought off its wasp predator by stealing a gene from bacteria that originated in ...

Genes Linked to Deadly Parasites' Spread Beyond Africa Identified

Dec. 19, 2024 — Parasites that cause the deadly illness known as sleeping sickness can spread beyond their native Africa as a result of mutations to key genes, a study ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:18pm EST

Chart of Life Extended by Nearly 1.5 Billion Years

Dec. 19, 2024 — Fossilized skeletons and shells clearly show how evolution and extinction unfolded over the past half a billion years, but a new analysis extends the chart of life to nearly 2 billion years ago. The ...

It's Complicated: Researchers Discover Unexpected Complexity of Sexual Differentiation in African Clawed Frog

Dec. 16, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered unexpected diversity in the genetic processes that determine the sex of the African clawed frog, a significant discovery ...

Salmon Genes Unlock Secrets of Puberty and Evolution

Dec. 17, 2024 — A study shows how a single gene in Atlantic salmon can dramatically influence the timing of puberty -- a key factor for salmon life cycle and ...

Detailed Bedbug Genome Analysis May Improve Pesticides

Dec. 16, 2024 — Scientists now have a better genetic understanding of the insect. The research offers an updated genome analysis of the common bedbug Cimex lectularius, providing new insight for those working to ...

Diverse Virus Populations Coexist on Single Strains of Gut Bacteria

Dec. 12, 2024 — A study offers evidence that a single bacterial species -- the host of the phage -- can maintain a diverse community of competing phage species. Knowing how more than one kind of virus can survive ...

Unique Motor Control System of Anglerfish's Specialized 'Fishing Rod' Discovered

Dec. 12, 2024 — Researchers have uncovered in anglerfish a specialized motor neuron population for the first dorsal fin used for 'fishing'. When the first dorsal fin ...

A New Twist: The Molecular Machines That Loop Our Chromosomes Also Twist DNA

Dec. 13, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a new property of the molecular motors that shape our chromosomes. While six years ago they found that these so-called SMC ...

Study Sheds Light on the Origin of the Genetic Code

Dec. 12, 2024 — Nearly all living organisms use the same genetic code, a complicated mechanism by which genetic information is translated into proteins, the building blocks of life. A new study suggests conventional ...

Barn Swallow Research Offers Real-Time Insight on How New Species Form

Dec. 12, 2024 — In a new study, scientists describe how different traits used to choose mates in barn swallow populations are driving the bird to diverge, which could eventually lead to the formation of new ...

New Research Unlocks Jaw-Dropping Evolution of Lizards and Snakes

Dec. 11, 2024 — A groundbreaking study has shed light on how lizards and snakes -- the most diverse group of land vertebrates with nearly 12,000 species -- have evolved remarkably varied jaw shapes, driving their ...

Biological Diversity Is Not Just the Result of Genes

Dec. 11, 2024 — How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of ...

Once-Endangered Kirtland's Warblers Show Extensive Signs of Inbreeding in Genome

Dec. 10, 2024 — The genome of a once-endangered songbird shows extensive signs of inbreeding, according to a new study. Because inbreeding can negatively impact survival and reproduction, the results could guide ...

Study Offers Insight Into Chloroplast Evolution

Dec. 10, 2024 — Scientists found molecular evidence supporting the idea that chloroplasts originated as energy-generating organelles and only later evolved to support carbon assimilation in plant ...

Insect Genome Offers Insights Into Rare Biological Conditions, Agricultural Biosecurity

Dec. 9, 2024 — Lice live their entire lives with a set of genes that in humans would indicate a late-stage degenerative disorder such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. How do lice tolerate this ...

A microRNA Solves an Evolutionary Mystery of Butterfly and Moth Wing Coloration

Dec. 6, 2024 — Over the past two decades, scientists discovered that the majority of melanic wing color variants are controlled by a single genomic region surrounding the protein-coding gene 'cortex'. It ...

Scientists 'Turn Up the Heat' on Understanding Coffee Wilt Disease Which Threatens Our Favorite Daily Brew

Dec. 5, 2024 — Scientists have 'turned up the heat' on how repeated outbreaks of coffee wilt disease threatened arabica and robusta varieties of our favorite daily coffee brew. The scientists say the ...

Chimpanzees Perform the Same Complex Behaviors That Have Brought Humans Success

Dec. 5, 2024 — A new study suggests that the fundamental abilities underlying human language and technological culture may have evolved before humans and apes diverged millions of years ...

Historic Outbreaks of Coffee Wilt Disease Linked to Gene Transfer from Another Fungus

Dec. 5, 2024 — The fungus that causes coffee wilt disease repeatedly took up segments of DNA from a related fungal pathogen, which contributed to successive outbreaks of the disease, according to a new ...

Scientists Identify Mutation That Could Facilitate H5N1 'Bird Flu' Virus Infection and Potential Transmission in Humans

Dec. 5, 2024 — Avian influenza viruses typically require several mutations to adapt and spread among humans, but what happens when just one change can increase the risk of becoming a pandemic virus? A recent study ...

DNA of 1,000 Year-Old Maize Sheds Light on Origins of Globally Important Food Crop

Dec. 5, 2024 — Researchers have tested ancient DNA from corn found at archaeological sites in Arkansas, shedding new light on the dispersal of one of the world's most important food ...

The Secret to Our Big Brains Might Be in Our Gut

Dec. 4, 2024 — Brain tissue is among the most energetically costly in the body, and as a result, larger-brained mammals require more energy to support brain growth and maintenance. Exactly which biological changes ...

Ecosystems: New Study Questions Common Assumption About Biodiversity

Dec. 3, 2024 — Plant species can fulfill different functions within an ecosystem, even if they are closely related to each other. This surprising conclusion was reached by a global analysis of around 1.7 million ...

The Viral Puzzle of Why Humans Are Susceptible to Hepatitis B Virus, but Monkeys Are Not

Dec. 3, 2024 — Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a narrow host range, mainly infecting hominoids. A new study reveals the structural differences in the liver cell receptor (NTCP) between humans and monkeys, explaining ...

Deep-Sea Marvels: How Anglerfish Defy Evolutionary Expectations

Dec. 2, 2024 — A groundbreaking study sheds light on the extraordinary evolution of anglerfish, a group of deep-sea dwellers whose bizarre adaptations have captivated scientists and the public alike. The research ...

Fossil Dung Reveals Clues to Dinosaur Success Story

Nov. 29, 2024 — Researchers have been able to identify undigested food remains, plants and prey in the fossilized feces of dinosaurs. These analyses of hundreds of samples provide clues about the role dinosaurs ...

Coral Adaptation Unlikely to Keep Pace With Global Warming

Nov. 28, 2024 — Coral adaptation to ocean warming and marine heatwaves will likely be overwhelmed without rapid reductions of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to an international team of ...

A Fossil First: Scientists Find 1.5-Million-Year-Old Footprints of Two Different Species of Human Ancestors at Same Spot

Nov. 28, 2024 — More than a million years ago, on a hot savannah teeming with wildlife near the shore of what would someday become Lake Turkana in Kenya, two completely different species of hominins may have passed ...

Brains Grew Faster as Humans Evolved

Nov. 27, 2024 — Brain size increased gradually within each ancient human species rather than through sudden leaps between ...

'Genetic Time Machine' Reveals Complex Chimpanzee Cultures

Nov. 27, 2024 — Chimpanzees are known for their remarkable intelligence and use of tools, but could their cultures also evolve over time like human cultures? A new, multidisciplinary study suggests that some of ...

The Next Evolution of AI Begins With Ours

Nov. 25, 2024 — The genome has space for only a small fraction of the information needed to control complex behaviors. So then how, for example, does a newborn sea turtle instinctually know to follow the moonlight? ...