Independent evolutionary origins of vertebrate dentitions
The origins of a pretty smile have long been sought in the fearsome jaws of living sharks which have been considered living fossils reflecting the ancestral condition for vertebrate tooth development and inference of its evolution. However, this view.....»»
Study suggests statistical "noise" affects perceived evolutionary rates
For decades, researchers have observed that rates of evolution seem to accelerate over short time periods—say five million years versus fifty million years. This broad pattern has suggested that "younger" groups of organisms, in evolutionary terms,.....»»
Sidney Wolk, roadside assistance company founder who dreamed big, dies at 89
Sidney Wolk, who founded Cross Country Motor Club in 1972 and turned it into one of the country's largest networks of independent service providers, died at age 89......»»
Researchers create orientation-independent magnetic field-sensing nanotube spin qubits
Purdue University researchers have developed patent-pending one-dimensional boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) containing spin qubits, or spin defects. The BNNTs are more sensitive in detecting off-axis magnetic fields at high resolution than traditiona.....»»
Scientists find plausible geological setting that may have sparked life on Earth
Researchers have discovered a plausible evolutionary setting in which nucleic acids—the fundamental genetic building blocks of life—could enable their own replication, possibly leading to life on Earth......»»
The evolutionary history of rats has more holes than Swiss cheese, but researchers are trying to close them
Rats and humans have lived together for thousands of years. However, written historical records of rats migrating alongside people are sparse and some are entangled with myth and folklore......»»
Plant lineage study provides insights into the ecological and evolutionary effects of different reproductive strategies
Hang Sun's group from Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences has demonstrated the ecological and evolutionary effects of changes in plant reproductive strategies on phylogenetic evolution. The study is published in the journal Scien.....»»
Dynasty Warriors: Origins makes bold changes, and they’re already paying off
We just got our first taste of Dynasty Warriors: Origins, which feels just as thrilling as the franchise ever has, even with a few new changes......»»
Tesla Full Self Driving requires human intervention every 13 miles
It gave pedestrians room but ran red lights and crossed into oncoming traffic. Enlarge / An independent automotive testing company has evaluated Tesla FSD, and it found some concerning results. (credit: PonyWang/Getty Images).....»»
Can the "hard steps" in the evolutionary history of human intelligence be recast with geological thresholds?
What took so long for humans to appear on Earth? The Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and life began about 4 billion years ago, yet humans—the only intelligent, technological species we know of in the universe—have existed only for the last 200,0.....»»
New evolutionary model revises the origins of biodiversity
An international team of scientists has made a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how global biodiversity evolved. By reconstructing the evolution of species over the past 45 million years, researchers found that the geographic origins.....»»
Enigmatic archaeological site in Madagascar may have been built by people with Zoroastrian origins, research suggests
At the turn of the first millennium AD, an unknown group of people lived in the inland Isalo massif of southern Madagascar. Here, they built vast terraces and carved large stone chambers and small hollow rock niches. The architecture is unlike anythi.....»»
A new genetic analysis of animals in the Wuhan market in 2019 may help find COVID-19"s origin
Scientists searching for the origins of COVID-19 have zeroed in on a short list of animals that possibly helped spread it to people, an effort they hope could allow them to trace the outbreak back to its source......»»
New database covers distribution and evolutionary history of megadiverse flowering plant family on isolated islands
Asteraceae, a family of flowering plants, are the most diverse group of flowering plants in the world. This plant family comprises about 34,000 species. An international research team with the participation of the University of Göttingen has now com.....»»
Independent origins of frog glue and its role in predator evasion
Skin-secreted adhesives, or glues, are highly effective defense adaptations that have evolved recurrently in a small number of amphibians. From an ecological standpoint, this rapidly solidifying material—essentially, a sticky slime—encumbers the.....»»
Genetic tracing at the Huanan Seafood market further supports COVID animal origins
A new international collaborative study provides a list of the wildlife species present at the market from which SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, most likely arose in late 2019. The study is based on a new analysis of meta.....»»
Can toddlers help explain the origins of our bias for wealth?
Income and wealth inequality in the U.S. remain near all-time highs. Analysts say this disparity is a "major issue of our time." Experts have spotlighted deep policy failures fueling the problem and helpful economic fixes to alleviate the suffering......»»
Understanding the Origins of Life on Earth Could Help Find Life beyond It
We can’t yet tell how life got its start on Earth. That’s one great reason to keep looking for life elsewhere.....»»
Paleontologists find omnivorous ancestor of the giant panda, revealing it was not always just a bamboo eater
The Hammerschmiede fossil site in southern Germany has yielded finds from about 11.5 million years ago that have rewritten evolutionary history. The sole species of bear discovered to date at the site was a relative of the giant panda. Its diet, howe.....»»
New technique boosts mutation rates in fruit flies for genetics research
A new technique, TF-High-Evolutionary (TF-HighEvo), allows large-scale assessment of de-novo mutations in multicellular organisms. Developed in collaboration with researchers from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the Friedrich Mie.....»»
An evolutionary battleground: Plants vs. microbes
Gazing out on a freshwater pond, you may see tiny green plants with oval-shaped leaves floating in clusters. In overgrown ponds, these plants coat the water's surface. These plants—called duckweed or water lentils—can grow so fast that they can d.....»»