Celibacy: Its surprising evolutionary advantages
Why would someone join an institution that removed the option of family life and required them to be celibate? Reproduction, after all, is at the very heart of the evolution that shaped us. Yet many religious institutions around the world require exa.....»»
Scientists reveal genomic distribution and evolutionary patterns of 6mA modifications in plants
N6-methyladenine (6mA) is as an important epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. Although 6mA was discovered at the same time as 5-methylcytosine (5mC), it has only recently received attention in eukaryotes, mainly due to the limitations of detection.....»»
California beachgoers face an unexpected peril: Aggressive, biting sea lions
As Southern Californians prepare to flood local beaches in anticipation of the Fourth of July holiday and an oncoming heat wave, experts are warning beachgoers to be vigilant about a surprising hazard: biting sea lions......»»
FTC v. Microsoft: 5 surprising revelations from the court hearing that you need to know
From The Elder Scrolls VI's release window to the failures of cloud gaming, these were some of the biggest revelations to come out of Xbox's FTC trial......»»
Pathogen protein modularity enables elaborate mimicry of host phosphatase
Pathogens have developed an extensive array of proteins during the co-evolutionary arms race with their hosts. This is particularly true for Phytophthora, a genus that causes significant damage to agriculture and forestry. One well-known species, Phy.....»»
Team discovers ancient marine reptile fossil, leading to new evolutionary insight
University of North Florida faculty member Dr. Barry Albright is part of a research team led by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) who have unlocked new evolutionary information following the discovery of a 94-million-year-old mosasaur in the gray s.....»»
Dry days trigger leaves to send a surprising growth signal telling roots to keep growing
Scientists at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) have discovered a new molecular signaling pathway, triggered when leaves are exposed to low humidity, that ensures plant roots keep growing towards water......»»
Humans" evolutionary relatives butchered one another 1.45 million years ago
Researchers from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History have identified the oldest decisive evidence of humans' close evolutionary relatives butchering and likely eating one another......»»
Photonic integration: Transforming the future of chip-scale applications
In the realm of photonics, the integration of multiple optical devices onto a single substrate holds immense promise for a wide range of applications. This revolutionary approach, known as photonic integration, offers remarkable advantages, including.....»»
Brazilian fossil provides earliest evidence of evolutionary trait that enabled dinosaurs to become giants
The missing link has just been found between the earliest dinosaurs, whose size ranged from a few centimeters to at most three meters in length, and more recent giants that could be more than twice the length of a bus and have so much appeal to the p.....»»
Research examines differences, and surprising similarities, between northern and southern silver birches
Antti Tenkanen's doctoral research focused on silver birch trees originating from different latitudes across Finland and, using both field and growth chamber experiments, he explored their traits and capacity to acclimate and adapt to climate change......»»
Researchers focus on function to help identify genetic changes that made us human
Humans split away from our closest animal relatives, chimpanzees, and formed our own branch on the evolutionary tree about seven million years ago. In the time since—brief, from an evolutionary perspective—our ancestors evolved the traits that ma.....»»
Editing a snake genome to stop production of dorsal scales
A team of geneticists and evolutionary specialists at the University of Geneva working with a colleague from the University of Zurich report that the hexagonal patterns seen on the backs and sides of some snakes are not self-organizing. In their stud.....»»
These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
In the age of dinosaurs, many marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today. While it was clearly a successful evolutionary strategy, paleontologists have long suspected that their long-necked bodies made them vulnerable to pred.....»»
Eternights is an action-RPG romance sim with a surprising horror twist
Eternights is an oddball mash-up of action RPG and dating simulator, but it also has horror elements that work surprisingly well......»»
Complexity is a barrier to horizontal gene transfer, shows new study
The recognition of the phenomenon known as horizontal (or lateral) gene transfer (HGT/LGT) revolutionized our understanding of evolutionary mechanisms. Unlike the conventional vertical transmission of genes from parent to offspring, HGT involves the.....»»
Study reveals potential breakthrough in grapevine disease resistance
A team of scientists—including UC Irvine's Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Brandon Gaut and UC Davis's Professors of Viticulture & Enology Dario Cantù and Andy Walker—has made a significant breakthrough in the battle ag.....»»
Mapping the evolution of E. coli"s main virulence factor offers a refined drug target
In a new study, published today in Nature Communications, a multi-center team led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oslo, Imperial College London and UCL, has mapped for the first time the evolutionary timeline and population distri.....»»
Study in mice links heat-damaged DNA in food to possible genetic risks
Researchers have newly discovered a surprising and potentially significant reason why eating foods frequently cooked at high temperatures, such as red meat and deep-fried fare, elevates cancer risk. The alleged culprit: DNA within the food that's bee.....»»
Evolutionary fuel: Researchers study maintenance of an ancient chromosomal inversion
Genetic variation is the ultimate fuel for evolution, says Utah State University evolutionary geneticist Zachariah Gompert. But, over centuries, that fuel reservoir gets depleted in the course of natural selection and random genetic drift......»»
Why Dying People Often Experience a Burst of Lucidity
New research shows surprising activity levels in dying brains and may help explain the sudden clarity many people with dementia experience near death.....»»