Insects pollinated the first flower 140M years ago, and it wasn’t a bee

If evolutionary biologists are the detectives of the natural world’s past mysteries, then the phylogenic tree is their version of a cork board of crime-scene suspects linked together with red string and thumbtacks.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, Sci… Continue reading Insects pollinated the first flower 140M years ago, and it wasn’t a bee

Mysterious hominin made world’s oldest burial site, study claims

A reconstruction of Homo naledi’s head by paleoartist John Gurche

Scientists have discovered evidence of what may be the world’s oldest known human burial. The team argues that several Homo naledi remains, dating back about 300,000 years, show signs of having been intentionally buried in a chamber deliberately marked with symbols, suggesting complex funerary behavior. But other scientists aren’t so sure.

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Evolution experiment yields yeast 20,000x bigger and 10,000x tougher

Scientists are conducting a long-term experiment on evolution in the lab, to investigate how single-celled organisms could evolve into multicellular lifeforms. After thousands of generations, their yeast grew 20,000 times bigger and 10,000 times toughe… Continue reading Evolution experiment yields yeast 20,000x bigger and 10,000x tougher

World’s biggest study reveals mammal evolution, and one very famous dog

A groundbreaking project has seen hundreds of scientists across the world uncover many mysteries of the evolution of mammals, work that may help us understand why humans are unique and what specific genetic changes hold the key to disease.Continue Read… Continue reading World’s biggest study reveals mammal evolution, and one very famous dog

Colorado chili pepper fossil discovery may upend evolutionary timeline

Fossilized plants can provide much information about plant diversification and the planet’s geography and evolution. Researchers have discovered an ancient chili pepper from Colorado that may upend our understanding of when and where the plant originat… Continue reading Colorado chili pepper fossil discovery may upend evolutionary timeline

Ants and plants: A 60-million-year-old evolutionary friendship

Ants can be found in huge numbers in almost all of the world’s regions and habitats. But how did they become the most populous, highly diverse insect species on the planet? Scientists may have an answer, and it has to do with plants.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Ants and plants: A 60-million-year-old evolutionary friendship

Asteroid Ryugu provides clues about beginnings of life on Earth

Samples taken from the near-Earth asteroid 162173 Ryugu continue to provide scientists with important insights, this time about the potential beginnings of life on our planet.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Space exploration, Hayabusa 2, … Continue reading Asteroid Ryugu provides clues about beginnings of life on Earth

Ancient protein study reveals how natural selection predates life itself

Exactly how life arose out of non-living matter is a major mystery, and a new study has found that natural selection may have played a role before life itself even existed on Earth. By recreating the primordial soup, scientists identified how a cocktai… Continue reading Ancient protein study reveals how natural selection predates life itself

Fossils reveal largest-ever penguin was probably bigger than you

An artist's reconstruction of the two new penguin species: Kumimanu fordycei and Petradyptes stonehousei

Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of what may be the largest penguins that ever lived. The bones, found on a beach in New Zealand, belonged to a giant bird that was more than three times the size of the biggest living penguins today.

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Lab-grown ancient nose receptors reveal how our ancestors smelled

Our ancestors probably didn’t smell good, but did they smell well? A new study has grown odor receptors from Neanderthals and Denisovans, and tested their sensitivities to different smells compared to modern humans.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, Sc… Continue reading Lab-grown ancient nose receptors reveal how our ancestors smelled