Evolution News

Entire Genome of Extinct Human Decoded from Fossil

Scientists have completed the genome sequence of a Denisovan, a representative of an Asian group of extinct humans related to Neanderthals. ...  > full story

Neanderthal Demise Due to Many Influences, Including Cultural Changes

Although many anthropologists believe that modern humans ancestors "wiped out" Neanderthals, it's more likely that ...  > full story

Fossil Cricket Reveals Jurassic Love Song

The love song of an extinct cricket that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life by scientists. The song – possibly the most ancient known musical song ...  > full story

A Battle of the Vampires, 20 Million Years Ago?

They are tiny, ugly, disease-carrying little blood-suckers that most people have never seen or heard of, but a new discovery in a one-of-a-kind ...  > full story

• Origin of Life
  Geochemistry
  Cell Biology
  Environmental Issues
  Atmosphere
  Charles Darwin
   
  

  Scientists Prove Plausibility of New Pathway to Life's Chemical Building Blocks

  January 31, 2012 — Scientists have demonstrated an alternative pathway to life-essential sugars called the glyoxylate scenario, which may push the field of pre-life chemistry past the formose reaction ... > full story
• New Species
  Fossils
  Extinction
  Fish
  Biology
  Dinosaurs
   
  

  New Species of Ancient Crocodile Discovered; 'Sheildcroc' Was Ancestor of Today's Species

  January 31, 2012 — A new species of prehistoric crocodile has been discovered. The extinct creature, nicknamed "Shieldcroc" due to a thick-skinned shield on its head, is an ancestor of today's ... > full story
• Epigenetics Research
  Evolution
  Nature
  Evolutionary Biology
  Early Climate
  Charles Darwin
   
  

  Ancient DNA Holds Clues to Climate Change Adaptation

  January 31, 2012 — Thirty-thousand-year-old bison bones discovered in permafrost at a Canadian goldmine are helping scientists unravel the mystery about how animals adapt to rapid environmental ... > full story
• Early Mammals
  Endangered Animals
  Fossils
  Wild Animals
  Environmental Policy
  Mice
   
  

  Mouse to Elephant? Just Wait 24 Million Generations

  January 30, 2012 — Scientists have for the first time measured how fast large-scale evolution can occur in mammals, showing it takes 24 million generations for a mouse-sized animal to evolve to the size of an ... > full story

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  • Mammals Shrink at Faster Rates Than They Grow: Research Helps Explain Large-Scale Size Changes and Recovery from Mass Extinctions
• Genetics
  Evolution
  Evolutionary Biology
  Charles Darwin
  Apes
  Molecular Biology
   
  

  Chimp 'X Factor': Extensive Adaptive Evolution Specifically Targeting the X Chromosome of Chimpanzees

  January 30, 2012 — Genetic mutations that boost an individual's adaptability have greater chances of getting through to X chromosomes -- at least in chimpanzees, according to new Danish research. An analysis of the ... > full story
• Early Humans
  Human Evolution
  Cultures
  Biology
  Anthropology
  Biochemistry Research
   
  

  Following Genetic Footprints out of Africa: First Modern Humans Settled in Arabia

  January 26, 2012 — A new study, using genetic analysis to look for clues about human migration over sixty thousand years ago, suggests that the first modern humans settled in Arabia on their way from the Horn of Africa ... > full story

  More: 

  • Following the First Steps out of Africa
• Archaeology
  Genes
  Genetics
  Invasive Species
  Ancient Civilizations
  Biochemistry Research
   
  

  Tiny Mountainous Region in Siberia May Have Been Genetic Source of Earliest Native Americans

  January 26, 2012 — A tiny mountainous region in southern Siberia may have been the genetic source of the earliest Native Americans, according to new ... > full story
• Cultures
  Anthropology
  Human Evolution
  Social Issues
  Racial Disparity
  Evolution
   
  

  Dawn of Social Networks: Ancestors May Have Formed Ties With Both Kin and Non-Kin Based on Shared Attributes

  January 25, 2012 — Ancient humans may not have had the luxury of updating their Facebook status, but social networks were nevertheless an essential component of their lives, a new study suggests. The study's findings ... > full story
• Early Birds
  Birds
  Dinosaurs
  Evolutionary Biology
  Evolution
  Paleontology
   
  

  Winged Dinosaur Archaeopteryx Dressed for Flight

  January 24, 2012 — The iconic, winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx was dressed for flight, an international team of researchers has concluded. The group identified the color of the raven-sized creature's fossilized wing ... > full story
• Origin of Life
  Cell Biology
  Geochemistry
  Molecular Biology
  Organic
  Sustainability
   
  

  Scientists Discover New Clue to Chemical Origins of Life

  January 24, 2012 — Organic chemists have made a significant advance towards establishing the origin of the carbohydrates (sugars) that form the building blocks of life. The researchers have re-created a process which ... > full story

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