The clams that fell behind, and what they can tell us about evolution and extinction
Every so often, life on Earth steps onto a nearly empty playing field and faces a spectacular opportunity. Something major changes—in the atmosphere or in the oceans, or in the organisms themselves —and the existing species begin to branch out in.....»»
Octopuses work together with fish to hunt—and the way they share decisions is surprisingly complex
A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution lifts the veil on what happens when octopuses and fish hunt together. As it turns out, this cross-species relationship is more complex than anyone expected......»»
Seal species carries "genetic scars" after being hunted to the edge of extinction, new research reveals
Northern Elephant seals have staged a remarkable comeback after narrowly escaping extinction by hunting, but new research reveals lasting genetic effects in the present population......»»
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.....»»
New research offers fresh hope to curb illegal orchid trafficking in Vietnam
Orchids, with their captivating beauty, have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Unfortunately, many species are on the brink of extinction, particularly in Vietnam, due to unsustainable wild harvesting and minimal enforcement of laws restricting.....»»
AI trained on evolution"s playbook develops proteins that spur drug and scientific discovery
A new artificial intelligence model developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin paves the way for more effective and less toxic treatments and new preventive strategies in medicine. The AI model informs the design of protein-based t.....»»
Cretaceous fireflies reveal early evolution of insect bioluminescence
Bioluminescence, the ability of living organisms to emit light, is a fascinating phenomenon observed in various life forms, including deep-sea fish, glowing mushrooms, and fireflies. Fireflies have long captivated people with their enchanting light d.....»»
Study shows that ancient reef-building stromatoporoids dodged extinction—at least temporarily
Will modern coral reefs go extinct? The answer is uncertain, but some of their ancient counterparts managed to dodge a bullet—for a while, at least......»»
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.....»»
Ancient DNA helps uncover the Iberian lynx"s potential secret weapon against extinction
Many large mammals have lost genetic diversity, often thanks to the actions of people shrinking their populations. The implications can be severe because without genetic diversity, a population does not have a "genetic database" to fall back on to ad.....»»
Feeding coral reefs can aid their recovery from bleaching events
Coral reefs will continue to experience severe heat stress as rising temperatures cause the oceans to become unbearably hot—but a new study shows that altering their feeding habits could allow local populations to avoid total extinction......»»
Quantum sensing approach captures nanoscale electrochemical evolution in battery
Battery performance is heavily influenced by the non-uniformity and failure of individual electrode particles. Understanding the reaction mechanisms and failure modes at nanoscale level is key to advancing battery technologies and extending their lif.....»»
A new catalog charts the evolution of the universe over time
An atlas doesn't seem to be an essential item in cars these days, but think about them and most people will think about distances. An atlas of the stars not only covers distances but must also take into account time too. The Andromeda galaxy, for exa.....»»
Beach stairs broke apart, fell against dune at popular Cape Cod beach
Beach stairs broke apart, fell against dune at popular Cape Cod beach.....»»
Team develops gene editing strategy for macroalgae Neopyropia
Neopyropia is an important economic macroalga and is one of the main macroalgae cultivation species in China, Japan, South Korea and other countries. As a critical juncture in the evolution of photosynthetic organisms, red algae to which Neopyropia b.....»»
Vampire Survivors evolution guide: all upgrades and weapon combos
No vampire can survive your power in Vampire Survivors once you master the art of evolving your weapons. This is a complicated task, so we'll break it down......»»
Love island: Bird"s refusal to leave resort life leads to genetic change
A little yellow-and-white bird that prefers to date its mates in an idyllic island lifestyle rather than fly to the mainland to mingle is an example of avian species evolution in action, according to new Australian research......»»
Convergent evolution study sheds light on how new genes arise
Where do new genes come from? That's the question a team of biological sciences researchers from the U of A set out to answer in a new study......»»
Small populations of Stone Age people drove dwarf hippos and elephants to extinction on Cyprus
Imagine growing up beside the eastern Mediterranean Sea 14,000 years ago. You're an accomplished sailor of the small watercraft you and your fellow villagers make, and you live off both the sea and the land......»»
Physicists reveal evolution of shell structure using machine learning
A research team has used a machine learning approach to investigate the evolution of shell structure for nuclei far from the stability valley. The study, published in Physics Letters B and conducted by researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics.....»»
Q&A: Authors discuss addressing the crisis of species loss
No oncologist would wait for a patient's cancer to spread before treating it. Similarly, waiting to detect the potential loss of a species across all its known habitats means interventions are often too late to turn the tide of extinction, according.....»»